HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-09-03 Bd Comm minutes Item Number: 4.a.
r 1 CITY OF IOWA CITY
a
Qa, COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
September 3, 2024
Ad Hoc Truth & Reconciliation Commission: August 1
Attachments: Ad Hoc Truth & Reconciliation Commission: August 1
August 1,2024
Approved Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)Minutes
Emma Harvat Hall, City Hall
Commissioners present: Amos Kiche, Cliff Johnson, Chastity Dillard, Lauren Merritt, Louis
Tassinary.
Commissioners on Zoom: Lubna Mohamed, Wangui Gathua.
Commissioners not present: Kayla Rossi, Chad Simmons.
Staff present: Geoff Fruin, Stefanie Bowers.
Recommendation to City Council: No.
Meeting called to order: 7:20 PM
Reading of Land Acknowledgement: Merritt read the Land Acknowledgement.
Approval of minutes from July 18, 2024: Merritt moved, and Tassinary seconded.
Motionpassed 7-0.
Public comment of items not on the agenda: Maha Muhamed brought up the concern of
landlords not accepting Housing Choice Vouchers(Section 8). The rejection by so many landlords has
affected many families.Muhamed offered some solutions. One solution was to provide the total rent
assistance to the tenant and not the landlord to avoid late rent charges.Another solution was to split
units that allow a certain number of apartments to be used for section 8 housing and the rest remain as
standard units. The final recommendation was a long-term solution of buying/providing land that
would allow for specialized housing to be built strictly for section 8 housing by the city.
Next steps for phase three and four: Dillard spoke of upcoming events she would like the
commission to attend and asked for commissioners to volunteer for tabling at them. Johnson
and Kiche volunteered for National Night Out being held on August 6. Another event is the
End of Summer Jam at Willow Creek Park on Saturday,August 17th from 2:00-5:00 PM.
Merritt volunteered her time for half of the event with Tassinary volunteering for the other half
of the time. Latino Fest happening at the end of August was also mentioned as a potential event
to table and raise awareness of the commission. Dillard mentioned utilizing volunteers to help
with tabling and breaking up the hours.
The African Festival is an event happening in September that Dillard suggests the commission
table at too. The final event mentioned was the University of Iowa's Student Fair in September.
Dillard volunteered to attend the event and asked for other commissioners to share any events
they may hear of in the future for potential tabling opportunities. Dillard suggested acting on
the idea of visiting churches to talk more with community members. Both the Iowa City and
Coralville Farmer's Market were noted as places the commission should also attend to increase
community engagement.
1
Dillard brought up the previously discussed TRC documentary and the expectations for it.
Tassinary mentioned including both the high and low points the commission has faced within
the documentary. Kiche mentioned keeping the documentary within budget and creating a
potential contract to avoid additional/unexpected charges. Dillard suggested commissioners
mention any specific footage they would like included in the documentary. Tassinary suggested
pulling together articles published in local newspapers to provide the documentarian. Johnson
asked what the debut would be for the finished documentary. Johnson suggested sitting down
with the documentarian to discuss the TRC's expectations for the film and being sure to all be
on the same page. Johnson would like to see Iowa City residents be interviewed with questions
of what they enjoy about Iowa City and their concerns with the city.
Dillard would like the film to be authentic and to accurately depict the back and forth of the
commission's work to showcase the full journey. Johnson asked if there will be any sort of
narration needed for the documentary. Kiche shared he would like transparency in the creation
of the documentary so there are no surprises or last-minute changes. Tassinary suggested the
documentarian organize the materials in a way that is continuously accessible. There was
consensus for the film to highlight the important aspects of the commission's journey rather
than every detail.
Kiche raised concerns of the calendar catching up with the commission and the need to act on
ideas and outreach efforts. Dillard agreed there is a need to get started on outreach and
suggested working with the schedules of those community members they will be meeting with.
It was clarified among the commission that the outreach efforts are for the purpose of
community engagement and to raise awareness of the commission and their mission. Tassinary
raised concerns of the timeline mentioned in the previous meeting. He suggested using the
information they have now and some information from upcoming engagement for the report as
part of the recommendation for the future section of the report. The possibility of recording
during parts of the public engagement was discussed.
It was recapped that the commission would like to do more tabling and community outreach.
Merritt suggested a question list or conversation engagement points for each commissioner to
consider when doing community outreach. Kiche and Dillard discussed what the community
engagement conversation should look like. Dillard suggested a personal conversation that
allows the community member(s)to speak openly without recording due to unpredictability. It
was also suggested that if something of importance arises in these one-on-one conversations to
then suggest bringing that information forward in a more formal setting that does not hold the
commission liable for what is said or shared. Kiche has community members willing to talk
with the commission and will provide dates for when they are available to speak.
Dillard confirmed she would work on a calendar for the community events discussed in the
meeting along with a poll for dates/availabilities that the commissioners can share with each
other. Johnson shared he would like to push for the TRC to be permanent. Tassinary will try to
draft the first half of the final report for city council. It would be a summary of the initial report
made by the consultants for the commission and their earlier work/research.
2
Kiche questioned the previously discussed idea of getting help with writing the report. It was
agreed to follow up with Simmons,who had volunteered to investigate getting potential
assistance for the report.
Annie Tucker gave suggestions for improvements to the website. Tucker believes there should
be more information front and center on the website of what the commission is doing and
looking for due to the lack of information currently present.
Announcements of commissioners:
Kiche shared he attended some of the public meetings on housing needs here in Iowa City.
Kiche reported it is a major concern in the community that may align with the commission's
efforts.
Johnson reiterated his desire for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to be a permanent
commission due to ongoing injustices like the recent incident of police violence leading to the
death of Sonya Massey.
Announcements of staff: None.
The meeting adjourned at 8:29PM.
The full meeting video can be viewed at this link.
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Item Number: 4.b.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
Q COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
September 3, 2024
Charter Review Commission: August 13
Attachments: Charter Review Commission: August 13
FINAL/APPROVED
Minutes
Charter Review Commission
August 13, 2024— 5:30 p.m.
Emma J. Harvat Hall, City Hall
Members Present: John Balmer, Susan Craig, John Deeth, Gerene Denning, Mackenzie
DeRoo, Matt Hayek, Molly Kucera, Bijou Maliabo (5:42 p.m.), Jennifer Patel
Staff Present: City Attorney Goers, City Clerk Grace
(Videos of the meetings are available at citychannel4.com typically within 48 hours)
Recommendations to Council: (to become effective only after separate Council action):
None
1. Call to order and roll call
2. Motion to adopt draft minutes as presented or amended
Commissioner Hayek noted a correction on page four, amending "to initiate" to "can initiate"
in the first paragraph.
Moved by Patel, seconded by Kucera to approve the June 27, 2024, draft minutes as
amended. Motion carried 8-0, Maliabo absent.
3. Motion to Accept Correspondence
Moved by Craig, seconded by Deeth to accept correspondence from Riley Eynon-
Lynch, Jay Honohan, and Anthony Haughton. Motion carried 8-0, Maliabo absent.
4. Review of City Charter: Article VII — Initiative and Referendum
City Attorney Goers reviewed the memo included in the August 13th meeting packet which
responded to a number of items the Commission asked Goers to research at the June 27th
meeting.
(1) The first item was whether the City can, through its Charter, control the timing of primary
elections. Goers informed the Commission that the date of the municipal primary
elections is set by state law, therefore can not be changed by the Charter.
(2) The Commission asked City Attorney Goers to draft language for Article 5.01 mandating
that City Council consider the demographics of board and commission makeup in order
to ensure the boards and commissions reflect the community. Goers noted that the
Commission shouldn't tie the hands of council due to the following: council can only
appoint those who apply which wouldn't necessarily reflect the community, council
shouldn't pass over a more qualified applicant for a less qualified applicant if the less
qualified applicant fits the demographics, and the demographic information for board
members and applicants is optional so the council may not have the information to make
the appointment. Goers suggested inserting the following sentence in 5.01(A): The
Council shall consider the available demographics of board and commission members
and applicants in making their appointments in an effort to make appointments reflective
of the community. Commissioner Hayek asked if demographics was defined anywhere.
Charter Review Commission
August 13,2024
Page 2
Goers noted that the Charter did not define demographics, but the board and
commission application had a section for demographics which is not mandated and
could change anytime. Chair Balmer stated he thought that the Charter should be as
general as possible. Goers added that if the Council asked him to define demographics
it would not be by race only, it could include gender, religion, national origin, age,
disability, etc. Individual Commissioners expressed their views. Commissioners agreed
to the proposed language from City Attorney Goers in Section 5.01(A).
(3) The Commission had asked City Attorney Goers to review Article VII to determine if
changes in state law mandate changes to the Charter. Goers noted there had been
changes in state law that govern when special elections may take place and that the
current options in the Charter may not be available. Goers stated Iowa Code has a
listing of dates for odd and even numbered years which he thought would be
cumbersome to list in the Charter and could change again before the Commission meets
again. Goers suggested the following language: remove " aF Gity eleGtinn or at th
" and replace with "first legally permissible election
date", in both Sections 7.05(B)(1) and 7.05(B)(2), subject to the various day limitations
that ensure that the election can take place. Goer also pointed out he removed the last
sentence in 7.05(B)(2)which states: "
refefend m petitinn with the City Gle ", noting it would not be needed if the Commission
went with the language of the first legally permissible election date. Commissioner Deeth
stated he like the flexibility the language gives noting that election law has been a
moving target the last few years. Commissioner Hayek asked what the policy idea was
behind the current wording on the timing of a special election and tying it the primary
election, wondering it if was to keep costs down. City Attorney Goers speculated that
was case as the costs were often discussed for petitions and initiatives. Commissioner
Hayek also asked if any of the prescribed state law dates align with local elections.
Commissioner Deeth stated November of odd years would be the only date that aligns
with state law. Additional discussion regarding aligning initiatives or referendums to a
regularly scheduled election to boost turnout or save on costs and still comply with state
law. Commissioners agreed to the proposed language from City Attorney Goers in
Sections 7.05(B)(1) and (2) and the removal of language in 7.05(B)(2).
Chair Balmer suggested starting at the beginning of the section and asked for questions or
comments. Commissioner Denning noted that in Article VII sometime qualified elector is
used and other time eligible elector is used. Denning noted Section 7.01(D)which has
qualified elector and asked if that was the correct language. City Attorney Goers stated the
language is correct for the following reasons: qualified electors are people who are
registered to vote and vote, as opposed to eligible electors who are people who could
register to vote but who have not yet done so. Denning also pointed out Section 7.02(B)
where a qualified elector can file the affidavit but in Section 7.03(A) petitions can be signed
by eligible electors. Goers confirmed that is how it is currently setup noting the reference to
the November 2016 election at the end of 7.03(A).
Commissioner Craig stated the model charter mentions recall and asked if that was allowed
in Iowa. Commissioner Deeth did not think so. City Attorney Goers will look into whether
recall is allowed in Iowa.
Commissioner Maliabo asked for clarification in Section 7.03(A)where 10% is referenced for
"the number of persons who voted in the last regular City election" but later states that the
"signature of eligible electors shall be no fewer than ten". Goers explained that the numbers
mean two different things stating that in the event of a really low voter turnout in an election,
Charter Review Commission
August 13,2024
Page 3
example 90, 10% of that would be nine and the Charter is saying you need at least ten.
Commissioners discussed the possibility of a low turnout at a November special election
with another election following in March.
Commissioner Denning noted correspondence to the Commission from Jay Honohan which
had the following recommendation: Section 7.01(B), which suggested adding to the items
that cannot be the subject of initiative and referendum, such as the retention or removal of
an employee or officer of the City of Iowa City. Commissioner Deeth suggested
incorporating something with Section 7.01(13)(g) Salaries "or termination" of City employees.
City Attorney Goers asked commissioners if they wanted that language to pertain to the
three council appointees or all city employees. Individual commission members expressed
their views. Chair Balmer asked Goers if this addition would be appropriate within the
Charter. Goers will research the issue and inform the commission at the next meeting.
Commissioner Hayek suggested Goers review Section 7.01(B)(1)(a) regarding "executive or
administrative nature" when reviewing and if that language covers the intention of the
commission.
Commissioner Craig asked for an example for Section 7.01(A)(3)(b) "amending or repealing
a new or existing law, policy or plan". City Attorney Goers provided examples.
Commissioner Deeth asked if there had been a change in law after 1989 regarding Section
7.01(B)(1)(j) affecting zoning. Chair Balmer stated he did not think there had been any
changes. Commissioner Hayek confirmed with City Attorney Goers that the language in
Section 7.01(B)(1)(a) meant that the initiative or referendum process could not be used to
dictate the execution or administration of something the council has decided to implement.
Goers agreed that members of the public could not say a policy was fine but they did not like
how it was being implemented. Commissioner Craig asked if technology was included in
Section 7.01(B)(1)(k) noting that there is a substantial amount of money spent on
technology. City Attorney Goers stated he would not consider technology a public
improvement noting Iowa Code Chapter 26 which has the definition of public improvement.
Commissioner Hayek stated other items within that section would cover technology such as
letting of contracts or appropriation of money.
Commissioner Hayek asked if there was enough time built in the process with the new
election law where the city is limited in when it can hold special elections, which would
include initiatives and referendums. City Attorney Goers explained the language that was
already built into the Charter that would be calculated backwards from the date of the first
legally permissible election date. Commissioners discussed the language in Section 7.05(A)
referring to the following: "If at any time more than thirty days before a scheduled initiative or
referendum election", and if there is enough time built in. City Attorney Goers provided
information for questions.
Commissioner Craig noted the language in Section 7.02(A) "Commencement. One or more
qualified electors" and asked why one was chosen and not more. Chair Balmer stated he did
not know why one was chosen but it had always been that way. City Attorney Goers
referenced Section 7.03(C) stating that an eligible elector has to certify the number of
signatures and if there was only one eligible elector, that one person would have to circulate
the petitions by themselves as opposed to multiple eligible electors sharing the
responsibility.
Commissioner DeRoo asked questions regarding Section 7.02(B) as to what happens with
the filing of the affidavit when a petitioner files with the City Clerk at 4:59 p.m. and the Clerk
Charter Review Commission
August 13,2024
Page 4
has to verify on the same day. City Clerk Grace noted that the Clerk would stay and
complete the filing process.
Commissioner Deeth stated he found it interesting that the vote to lower the signature
threshold was in 2016 and that there had not been a petition filed since.
5. Continue General Overview of the City Charter
Chair Balmer stated he would like to continue this item until the next Charter Review
Commission meeting on August 28th.
6. Tentative Meeting Schedule
Chair Balmer stated that the Saturday, September 28th Public Input Forum would be held in
Harvat Hall at 10:30 a.m. and asked if anyone had reached out to the Iowa League of
Women Voters to co-sponsor the forum. Commissioner Patel stated she was on the Board
and would be writing a Voter article and asked what the Commission wanted to include.
Chair Balmer noted that the League is a great way to get information out about the forum
and encouraging participation. Chair Balmer also suggested having another Public Input
Forum in conjunction with a meeting prior to the September 28th Forum. The Commission
discussed and agreed to have the other Public Input Forum at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday,
September 10th at the Iowa City Public Library and for the length of the forum to be an hour
and a half. Vice Chair Kucera stated one of the goals of the forum would also be to educate
the public so they understand what the Charter is and get feedback from them.
Commissioners discussed the setup and intent of the public input forum. City Attorney Goers
provided information regarding the noticing of the meeting. Chair Balmer proposed making it
aware to the public that the Commission would be seeking input on the election of the mayor
and council districts. Commissioner Craig suggested Chair Balmer make an opening
statement regarding those two items but note that they would accept comments on any part
of the Charter. City Attorney Goers advised the Commission that if they only want to
listening to public input and not get into a question and answer Chair Balmer should make
that clear at the beginning of the forum. City Clerk Grace provided a draft flyer for the forum
and will update the information as needed. Commissioner Maliabo requested a brochure
and district map be available for the Public Input Forum.
City Attorney Goers confirmed items for the Wednesday, August 28th meeting agenda.
7. Community Comment
The following individuals appeared: Martha Hampel, Jay Honohan, and Andrew Dunn.
8. Adjournment:
Moved by Maliabo, seconded by Hayek to adjourn the meeting at 6:50 p.m. Motion
carried 9-0.
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Item Number: 4.c.
r 1 CITY OF IOWA CITY
a
Qa, COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
September 3, 2024
Community Police Review Board: July 9 [See Recommendation]
Attachments: Community Police Review Board: July 9 [See Recommendation]
r
CITY OF IOWA CITY
M E M 0 RA N D U M
Date: July 10, 2024
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Connie McCurdy, Community Police Review Board Staff
Re: Recommendation from Community Police Review Board
At their July 09, 2024 meeting the Community Police Review Board made the following recom-
mendation(s)to the City Council:
(1) Accept CPRB 24-02 Public Report.
Additional action check one
I X l No further action needed
F-1 Board or Commission is requesting direction from City Council
[� Agenda item will be prepared by staff for City Council action
Final/Approved
Community Police Review Board
Minutes —July 09, 2024
CALL TO ORDER: Chair Jensen called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Melissa Jensen, Ricky Downing, Jessica Hobart, Jerri MacConnell
Saul Mekies, David Schwindt
MEMBERS ABSENT: Colette Atkins
STAFF PRESENT: Staff Connie McCurdy, Legal Counsel Patrick Ford
OTHERS PRESENT: Police Chief Dustin Liston
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL:
• Accept CPRB 24-02 Public Report.
CONSENT CALENDAR:
• Draft minutes of the meeting from June 11, 2024
• ICPD Quarterly Summary Report IAIR/CPRB —2nd Quarter 2024
Motioned by Mekies, seconded by Downing to adopt the consent calendar as presented.
Motion carried 6/0, Atkins absent.
NEW BUSINESS:
• None.
OLD BUSINESS:
• Legal Counsel Ford suggested that the board discuss the wording used in the online complaint
forms.
CPRB staff handed out a sample of the proposed changes. Board members liked the changes,
however, Ford asked for a change to the second question. The second question now reads
"Does the incident involve a police officer employed by the City of Iowa City?"
PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA:
• None.
BOARD INFORMATION:
• Mekies asked for certificates of appreciation to be sent to the outgoing CPRB members
Remington and Townsend Sr.
CPRB staff noted that this had already been done.
• Mekies asked to have a discussion about complainants that frequently contact the police for
scenarios that should go through DHS or other social service agencies added to the next
agenda.
CPRB
July 09, 2024 Final/Approved
Page 2
STAFF INFORMATION:
• Chief Liston asked the board members if they would mind if when he had something to share if
he could talk about it during the "board discussion regarding the consent calendar" portion of the
meeting. Board members agreed to have Chief Liston speak during the consent calendar part of
the meeting.
TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE and FUTURE AGENDAS subiect to Chan e :
• August 20, 2024, 5:30 p.m. — Helling Conference Room
• September 10, 2024, 5:30 p.m. — Helling Conference Room
• October 8, 2024, 5:30 p.m. — Helling Conference Room
• November 12, 2024, 5:30 p.m. — Helling Conference Room
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
Motioned by Mekies, seconded by Downing, to adjourn to Executive Session based on Section
21.5(1)(a) of the Code of Iowa to review or discuss records which are required or authorized by state or
federal law to be kept confidential or to be kept confidential as a condition for that government body's
possession or continued receipt of federal funds, and 22.7(11) personal information in confidential
personnel records of public bodies including but not limited to cities, boards of supervisors and school
districts, and 22-7(5) police officer investigative reports, except where disclosure is authorized
elsewhere in the Code; and 22.7(18) Communications not required by law, rule or procedure that are
made to a government body or to any of its employees by identified persons outside of government, to
the extent that the government body receiving those communications from such persons outside of
government could reasonably believe that those persons would be discouraged from making them to
that government body if they were available for general public examination.
Motion carried 6/0, Atkins absent.
Open session adjourned at 5:52 p.m.
REGULAR SESSION:
Returned to regular session at 6:25 p.m.
Motioned by Downing, seconded by Jensen to accept CPRB Complaint 24-02 as amended and forward
report to Council.
Motion carried 4/1/1, Mekies voted no, Schwindt abstained, Atkins absent.
ADJOURNMENT:
Motioned by Hobart, seconded by Jensen to adjourn.
Motion carried 6/0, Atkins absent.
Meeting adjourned at 6:26 p.m.
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COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOA
A Board of the City of Iowa City ,
410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, IA 52240-1826
(319) 356-5041
Date: July 09, 2024
To: City Council
Complainant
City Manager
Chief of Police
Officer(s) involved in complaint
From: Community Police Review Board
Re: Investigation of CPRB Complaint#24-02
This is the Report of the Community Police Review Board's (the"Board") review of the investigation of
Complaint CPRB#24-02 (the "Complaint").
BOARD'S RESPONSIBILITY:
Under the City Code of the City of Iowa City, the Board's responsibilities are as follows:
1. The Board forwards all complaints to the Police Chief, who completes an investigation. (Iowa
City Code Section 8-8-7(A).)
2. When the Board receives the Police Chiefs report, the Board must select one or more of the
following levels of review, in accordance with Iowa City Code Section 8-8-7(B)(1):
a. On the record with no additional investigation.
b. Interview/meet with complainant.
c. Interview/meet with named officer(s) and other officers.
d. Request additional investigation by the police chief, or request police assistance in the
board's own investigation.
e. Perform its own investigation with the authority to subpoena witnesses.
f. Hire independent investigators.
3. In reviewing the Police Chiefs report, the Board must apply a "reasonable basis" standard of
review. This means that the Board must give deference to the Police Chiefs report, because of
the Police Chiefs professional expertise. (Iowa City Code Section 8-8-7(13)(2)).)
4. According to Iowa City Code Section 8-8-7(B)(2), the Board may issue a report_ that disagrees
with the decision set forth in the Police Chiefs or City Manager's report qn/y if:
a. The findings are not supported by substantial evidence; or
b. The findings are unreasonable, arbitrary or capricious; or
c. The findings are contrary to a police department policy or practice, or any federal, state
or local law.
5. When the Board has completed its review of the Police Chiefs report, the Board issues a public
report to the city council. The public report must include: (1) detailed findings of fact; and (2) a
clearly articulated conclusion explaining why and the extent to which the complaint is either
"sustained"or"not sustained ". (Iowa City Code Section 8-8-7(B)(6)).
6. Even if the Board finds that the complaint is sustained, the Board has no authority to discipline
the officer involved.
BOARD'S PROCEDURE
The Complaint was initiated by the Complainant on March 08, 2024. As required by Section
8-8-5(B) of the City Code, the Complaint was referred to the Chief of Police for investigation.
The Chiefs Report was filed with the City Clerk on May 13, 2024. As per Section 8-8-6(D) of the City
Code, the Complainant was given the opportunity to respond to the Chiefs report.
The Board voted on June 11, 2024 to apply the following Level of Review to the Chiefs Report: On the
record with no additional investigation, pursuant to Iowa City Code Section 8-8-7(13)(1)(a).
The Board met to consider the Report on June 11, 2024 and July 09, 2024.
Prior to the June 11, 2024 meeting, the Board had the opportunity to review the complaint, the Police
Chiefs report, and to watch and listen to body worn camera and/or in-car camera footage showing the
interaction between the officers and the complainant.
FINDINGS OF FACT:
Complainant alleged that he determined that the officer was driving at a speed of 35-mph in a 25-mph
zone. When interviewed at the police station, the complainant admitted that he had to go at least 35-
mph to find the alleged speed of the officer's car. He had no equipment to accurately determine the
speed.
COMPLAINANT'S ALLEGATION#1: Violation of 309.2--Officer Response to Calls.
Chief's conclusion: Not sustained
Board's conclusion: Not sustained
Basis for the Board's conclusion:
The speedometers of cars may not be calibrated and/or maintained in the same manner. The
complainant's car would have traveled at least 35-mph, so he was breaking the law, but was not
charged.
COMPLAINANT'S ALLEGATION#2: Violation of 320.5.10 Safety.
Chief's conclusion: Not sustained
Board's conclusion: Not sustained
Basis for the Board's conclusion:
The complainant did not use the appropriate equipment to determine the speed of the squad car
driven by the police officer.
COMMENTS:
None.
Item Number: 4.d.
r 1 CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
September 3, 2024
Council Economic Development Committee: August 12 [See Recommendation]
Attachments: Council Economic Development Committee: August 12 [See
Recommendation]
r
CITY OF IOWA CITY
To MEMORANDUM
Date: August 16, 2024
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Rachel Kilburg Varley, Economic Development Coordinator
Re: Recommendation from City Council Economic Development Committee
At their August 16, 2024 meeting, the City Council Economic Development Committee made the
following recommendation to the City Council:
Dunn moved, Moe seconded a motion to approve a recommendation to the full City
Council for approval of the revised Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Policy. Motion passed
(2-0).
Additional action(check one)
No further action needed
Board or Commission is requesting Council direction
X Agenda item was prepared by staff for Council action
Approved-p.1
Council EDC, 8/12/24
Minutes
City Council Economic Development Committee
August 12, 2024
City Manager's Conference Room
City Council Economic Development Committee
Members Present: Laura Bergus, Josh Moe
Members Absent: Andrew Dunn
Staff Present: Rachel Kilburg Varley, Eric Goers, Sarah Gardner
Call to Order
Moe called the meeting to order at 8:14 A.M.
Consider minutes from the July 1, 2024 Economic Development Committee meeting
Bergus moved, Moe seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the July 1, 2024 meeting.
Motion passed (2-0).
Old Business
Moe explained that due to the Economic Development Committee (EDC) being a three-
person committee, any two members discussing matters of the Committee represents a
quorum and is subject to Open Meeting Law. As such, EDC members must disclose any
conversations that occurred between themselves outside of EDC meetings. Moe shared he
had discussed with both Dunn and Bergus about the process for moving the TIF Policy
forward but had not had substantive conversations. Bergus shared she also had spoke to the
other members about scheduling of meetings, but nothing substantive.
Develop recommendation to full City Council for approval of revised Tax Increment Fi-
nancina Policy
Moe introduced the memo he authored and submitted through the August 12, 2024 Council
EDC agenda packet. First, he suggested adding introductory language which clarifies what
the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Policy is and how it will be used. Bergus and Goers agreed
such language would be helpful to include for the public's understanding.
Next, Moe invited discussion about options for verifying credibility of sustainability approaches
for TIF-supported projects. Bergus noted appreciation for Moe's proposed language which
identifies specific benchmarks and indicated support for incorporating some sort of credible
check or verification. Moe asked Gardner for her input, and she shared that third-party
verification for new construction projects is sensible but would be more difficult to apply to
projects occurring in existing buildings and thus suggested differentiating the two. Additionally,
Approved-p.2
Council EDC, 8/12/24
Gardner suggested that participation in the City's Energy Star Portfolio Manager may be a
good alternative to third-party verification for existing buildings. Committee members
continued general discussion on this topic. Moe raised the question of how to empower City
staff to perform or contract third-party verification and Bergus expressed concerns about self-
certification. Kilburg Varley added that TIF projects are subject to annual certification to be
eligible for their rebate payments. As part of that certification process, the City has the ability
to require certain reporting and Kilburg Varley shared an example of one TIF-supported hotel
project which is required to submit documentation of their annual Green Seal Certification
renewal. Gardner also suggested that a report from an ESCO may also be an option.
Next, the Committee discussed incorporating flexibility into the policy, to share specific
guidelines while recognizing trade-offs with other priorities identified in the policy. Moe asked
how the public is informed of TIF projects, and Kilburg Varley shared that TIF proposals are
typically taken to the Council EDC prior to the Council, some projects require certain
legislative steps such as rezoning, and that Council would approve all Development
Agreements.
Moe and Bergus summarized desired changes to the revised TIF Policy including adding
clarifying introductory language, adding a list of example measures similar to the proposed list
in Moe's memo, differentiating between new and existing construction, and adding that
multiple touchpoints for verification may be requested with examples such as the Energy Star
Portfolio Manager identified.
Finally, the Committee members briefly discussed floors versus targets, the metrics identified
in Moe's proposed memo, and the cost and trade-offs to consider when balancing the Climate
Action goals and other public benefit priorities identified in the TIF Policy.
Committee members directed staff to revise the TIF Policy based on the discussion and
schedule another EDC meeting to review and consider recommending to the full City Council.
New Business
None.
Adjournment
Bergus moved, Moe seconded that the meeting be adjourned. Motion carried (2-0)
Approved-p.3
Council EDC, 8/12/24
Council Economic Development Committee
ATTENDANCE RECORD
2020-24
TERM 10/27/21 10/19/22 11/29/22 9/25/23 7/1124 8/12/24
NAME EXP.
I Josh
Moe 12/31/25 -» --- --- --- X X
Andrew
Dunn 12/31/25 --- --- --- X O
Laura
Bergus 12/31/25 --- X X X X X
John
Thomas 01/02/24 X X X X --- ---
Megan
Alter 01/02/24 --- X X X --- ---
Susan
Mims 01/02/22 X
Mazahir
Salih 01/02/22 X --- -- --- --- ---
Key:
X = Present
O = Absent
--- = not a member
O/E =Absent/Excused
Item Number: 4.e.
r 1 CITY OF IOWA CITY
a
Qa, COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
September 3, 2024
Historic Preservation Commission: June 13
Attachments: Historic Preservation Commission: June 13
MINUTES APPROVED
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
J U N E 13, 2024 — 5:30 PM — FORMAL MEETING
E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Margaret Beck, Carl Brown, Andrew Lewis, Jordan Sellergren, Noah
Stork, Deanna Thomann, Nicole Villanueva, Frank Wagner
MEMBERS ABSENT: Christina Welu-Reynolds
STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow
OTHERS PRESENT: Simon Andrew, Martha Norbeck, GT Karr, Mark Russo
CALL TO ORDER:
Sellergren called the meeting to order at 5:30 p m.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None.
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
HPC24-0038: 426/430 Church Street—Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District (garage
demolition):
Bristow noted this is in the Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District on the corner of Church and
Van Buren. 426 Church Street is the house and it had aluminum siding removed recently so some of
the photos she showed were old. 430 Church Street had a long-term owner and it has recently
changed hands. The subject of the project is the shared garage between the homes. The houses were
built on a lot that used to extend all the way to the alley and then it was divided in half north and south
and then divided again in half east and west. Both homes are catalog homes built about the same time
and have a shared driveway and a shared garage.
Bristow said the issue with the garage is that it's 16ft by 16ft and a legal parking spot is 9ft by 18ft so it
is too short to fit modern cars. Since the 426 property was purchased by the current owner they've
been talking about this garage. With the previous owner there was no need for the corner property to
have driveway or garage space but then the property changed hands and now both property owners
are interested in being able to park on their property so that they don't have to park on the street. Staff
has been working through this for a long time with the homeowners trying to figure out ways to first
save the garage but there was no way to just add to it and make it workable, especially for two cars,
and Iowa City's zoning code does not allow a garage to be built that crosses property lines. They need
to have required setbacks, which can be reduced, but not to zero. The current garage not only crosses
the property lines but it also is within a foot or two of the rear property line and all of the properties have
to maintain a certain amount of open space. For the corner property, adding a driveway off the side
street and putting a garage in the backyard would mean that they have no open space. So the solution
they came to was that the garage would need to come down.
Typically the Commission would look at the condition of the garage prior to approving demolition and
this one does need repair. It has been repaired in the past, the doors are bead board with the framing
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 13, 2024
Page 2 of 11
on the outside but garage doors can be replaced and they can also repair the garage itself as it is not
beyond repair to the point where they would normally allow demolition. However, in this case the only
way to allow both of the properties to have a place to park is to remove the garage.
The proposal is to take down the garage and have a parking pad on each side of the property line.
They do plan to separate it by 6 inches, Bristow is not really sure exactly why they plan to do that
perhaps due to some code requirements that a property owner doesn't have water that drains from one
property to another. Also, when driveways are on the property line it's required to curb them so that
the water just does not run onto the adjacent property but in this case it would be difficult for either
vehicle to really get from the shared driveway and the apron into the space if it was curbed so it will just
become a parking pad.
Bristow stated that again they don't tend to approve a demolition for a building that is not beyond repair
and if they have a contributing building and it's going to come down they typically require a new one is
constructed, especially a garage to avoid surface parking, especially in a rental neighborhood. She
explained that is not possible with this project so staff does recommend that the Commission approves
the demolition so that the property owners can have parking. Bristow stated it would need to be
approved through the use of an exception, and the recommended motion is to approve the project
using an exception for the uncommon situation of very small lots with a shared driveway.
The guidelines related to this special exception are that sight and landscaping, the provided parking is
behind the primary structure which they'll be doing. There is not a new driveway, they're using the
same one, but the guidelines talk about driveways being 8ft to 1 Oft in width which this does comply
with. The guidelines also stated to have driveways typically from an alley if possible but there's no alley
here. In the guideline section about demolition it talks about retaining historic garages and designing
replacement garages but again that will not work in this situation.
Lewis asked about the limitations on where a garage can go and why that is not the same for parking
pads. Bristow believes the parking pads can be closer to the property lines as it is just concrete on
grade.
Stork asked if they would be allowed to put any type of covering over these parking pads. Bristow
replied no, they would not be able to have a carport due to City zoning code. Lewis asked if carports
have the same limitations as garages. Bristow doesn't know if they're exactly the same but they're
similar as again they don't want a structure near the property line because if there's a structure fire it
spreads to the other property, that's one of the reasons for setback requirements.
Villanueva asked if there is any way for them to come back in a couple years and request a garage.
Bristow replied again no, there's no possible way. Had this garage been taken out by say a tornado
they could rebuild it within a certain limited time period regardless of the zoning code because if
something's taken out by weather or fire it is allowed. However, they wouldn't have been able to make
it bigger to fit two cars. Bristow also noted they had looked at options to add weird little bump outs so
that they could come in and park, or to add a lean-to extension and that would solve the length issue
but it wouldn't solve the problem with only one being able to park one car in it.
MOTION: Wagner moves to approval of a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 426
and 430 Church Street as presented in the staff report using an exception for an uncommon
situation. Villanueva seconded.
Thomann noted it really is an uncommon situation and feels bad because the garage reminds her so
much of her own garage but of course she does haven't to share it.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 13, 2024
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Sellergren is curious if they are planning on just fully demolishing it or if they going to put it up on
Craigslist. She always asks about garages because she needs one. Bristow is unsure.
Stork is curious how common this is in districts to have shared garages. Bristow replied she knows of a
few shared garages but all of the other garages that she knows about are of a size where two cars can
actually park in them.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0.
HPC24-0040: 726 Ronalds Street— Brown Street Historic District (new construction):
Bristow noted there may be some places in the report and agenda that list the address as 728 but the
address is 726 Ronalds Street.
This is in the Brown Street Historic District and previously the property had been divided with the
student-built house built on the western lot and this application is for the house construction on the
eastern lot. Bristow noted there are quite a few guidelines, and they're all listed in the packet, but one
of the important parts of new construction in a district is choosing a style. The Foursquare style was
chosen partly because of the fact that there are so many in the neighborhood. While it's definitely
prevalent in the neighborhood there's quite a variation between them. A basic Foursquare is generally
cube shaped, often slightly rectangular, with a hip roof and then a regular pattern of windows basically
in each corner of the square. Some of these houses are from a transitional period so the roof type may
vary. The Foursquare came out of the development of the Prairie Style so they often have a wide
overhang. Submitted as part of the application were some catalog homes that provided inspiration for
the design.
Bristow shared the site plan noting where the first house that was built on the west side and the
property line that divides the lot in half, she reminded the Commission there was an odd sewer
easement that very much impacted the depth of the house on the western lot which then impacted the
style and what type of architecture would be used. This house on the eastern lot has a little bit more
room but there is a steep drop off from the sidewalk, there is only about 1 Oft or so and then it drops off
sharply to the backyard and so that also impacted the design.
Bristow said it will be a rectangular Foursquare with a full width front porch and a walkout basement in
the sunken area of the backyard with retaining walls around it. The front facade of this house will have
three columns, it is typical to often have three columns if they're the thinner columns. However many of
the Foursquares with Classical Revival details, like in the Longfellow neighborhood to the south, have
large piers and box or ganged columns and so they'll have two instead of three. Bristow pointed out the
pattern of double hung windows in a matching pattern. She showed the rear elevation and where on
the foundation a door will be cutting through grade and the stairs going down away from the door. The
retaining wall will require a railing along it because it'll be greater than 30in. tall. The basement plan
walks out and there's the steps up to grade, so it is a sunken patio area, there's a bedroom with an
egress window, a bathroom and mechanical stuff. On the first floor is the main entry with the dining
room, the kitchen, living room and a bedroom and bath. Upstairs is a series of bedrooms and a
bathroom.
Bristow said the Housing Fellowship owns the property and has a goal to be able to house some larger
families so having this many bedrooms would allow them to do that. Bristow also noted the building
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 13, 2024
Page 4 of 11
inspections and zoning code staff have noted that they would not be able to turn the basement into an
accessory dwelling unit so it would not be able to be a separate living space.
All new buildings follow guidelines related to how big the fagade is and this one is just over half the
limitation so it's fine, the height of the building being one and a half or two stories, the front setback is
consistent with the neighboring property, adding doors that match what is typically seen on a historic
building and using siding that is consistent, in this case a smooth LP product with a flat casing. The
windows have been submitted as part of the project and is a window that has been approved before.
One of the issues is the guidelines do require that a new construction in a historic district is built so the
first floor is at least 18in above grade. Iowa City has had very few new constructions in a historic
districts, one of them was a Habitat home over in the Dearborn Neighborhood which is a Conservation
District so they did require that the front porch on that house be 18in above grade as they were able to
create their zero step entry, which is required on all new constructions, at the back door which was right
next to the garage and would be the main way that the occupants of the home would enter the house.
In this case because of the fact that the lot slopes so drastically off in the back it's not possible to have
a zero step entry into the main living space at the back. This is also the case with the property next
door they're creating that zero step entry at the front porch and therefore an exception needs to be
made to allow that. Also, because the porch floor will be concrete and the guidelines would have any
new porch on any property traditional porch construction, an exception would need to be made for
having just a concrete slab on grade.
Bristow said the American Foursquare styles often have attic dormers or roof dormers on their hipped
roof but this one does not, partly to reduce cost and complexity since they do have students that are
building the house. There are many examples in town of Foursquares without roof dormers so staff
finds this acceptable. One of the questions was about the porch columns. The porch columns as
drawn are considered a round classical revival column but because of ease of construction and
everything they would prefer to do a square column and staff finds that it would be acceptable to do a
square column but with some added conditions to make sure that they're sized properly. The staff
recommendation for this application includes conditions that the door product information and the porch
column design are reviewed by staff.
Sellergren is curious if there is a side door on this house. Bristow replied no, there's the rear door on
the basement level but no side door.
Bristow noted an entry canopy is something that they might want to consider adding over the back
door.
Wagner stated it's not required because of the grade, but he noted they might consider some type of
porch railing for accessibility and ease of access to the home at the front door. Bristow said it's not
required but they did consider that.
Simon Andrew (The Housing Fellowship) stated they are very pleased with how the first house turned
out and they are excited to get the second one going.
Bristow also wanted to point out the plan for the basement shows a window on the side and it's not
included in the elevation because of the fact that they have already accomplish the required egress
window on the bedroom on the back. Staff would assume that this is a traditional basement window
size as that would also prevent them from having to put a window well into the side of the hill and the
setback requirements that are involved with that.
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June 13, 2024
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Martha Norbeck (C-Wise) stated these are her drawings so everything mentioned she has thought
about. With the basement window they need to have a 24in deep open web trust so that they can run
the duct work so that means that basement window is suddenly 24in down from the water table and
they have to have a window well and that adds so much cost and complexity and they already the door
with the light and the egress window they're going to wind up with no window there. It would have been
great to have the extra light in there but from a logistical standpoint it just won't work and again since
this is a student build they don't want to be too complicated. Also, a lot of these decisions are being
driven by cost for the Housing Fellowship as well as the constructability for the students. They've
already got the guard rail necessary for the entry in the back and had the stairs there so to add the
railing going up to the upper level made the kitchen/living room situation untenable by creating that
access to that door. She wound up actually deciding to make that first floor room an accessible
bedroom and accessible bathroom, which takes up a lot of space, and to make the living room and
kitchen work in a way that actually felt like a place she would want to live and therefore got rid of the
first floor back door which saves the cost of the overhang over that exit and then it also saves the railing
and the landing at the at the top.
GT Karr (General Contractor, Sueppel' s Building and Remodeling) wanted to take the opportunity to
talk about the positive things and how things turned out at 728 Ronalds Street. They had 16 students
on the build, they're going to have a family that's a block away from Mann moving in and they got
affordable housing ,LEED gold certification, historic district house on the Parade of Homes. He noted
they had a 20-year hiatus from student builds but have 26 students involved for next year. His favorite
story is it's been on the parade and other than just seeing the kids and the turn out from the
neighborhood and all the positive feedback, the Parade of Homes is judged by other home builders'
associations, people in construction from Des Moines and Davenport, they judged this home against
the half million dollar homes. He's had 150-200 people go through the house last weekend as well but
when people in construction who are doing it for a living think they just redid a house and not build from
scratch, that is showcasing the good work the students did.
MOTION: Lewis moves to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project of 726
Ronald's Street as presented in the staff report with the following conditions: the door product
information and porch column design are reviewed by staff. Beck seconds the motion.
Thomann noted she was able to be at the open house on Saturday to see the new home there and it
does look like an old home that got a facelift so they did a really good job and she is also pleased with
this design too and excited to see something that will accommodate even a bigger family.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0.
HPC24-0045: 1210 Sheridan Avenue— Longfellow Historic District (rear addition):
Bristow stated this house is in the Longfellow Historic District and is a Minimal Traditional with an
entryway that is Tudor Revival because of the asymmetrical steep angle of the roof. The lap siding with
the mitered corners is pretty much the only ornamentation on this home, there had been shutters on it
at one point in time, but it is unknown if those had been added or were historic. Bristow noted the
grade dropping off behind the house. The windows on the house have been repaired recently.
Showing an image of the back elevation of the house Bristow pointed out a little door and a bump that
she is not entirely sure when that was done.
Bristow showed the 1933 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map and noted this house was pasted in and that
means that it's an alteration to that Sanborn Map. Iowa City's copy of the maps were altered eight
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 13, 2024
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different times up until the 1970s and so there are a lot of pasted in pieces but that is consistent with
the fact that they think this house was built in the 1930s and it would have been built after 1933. The
picture on the map does have that projecting entry but it does not have a bump out on the back.
Bristow did note sometimes Sanborn Maps have errors but not too often so she would tend towards
thinking this is accurate. She also looked back through the old housing inspector's forms where they'd
sketch properties and make notes of things and the first time they visited this house was 1973 and it did
have the bump out at that point in time so she is assuming because of the Sanborn Map it was an
addition that happened within the first 30 years or so of the house being built. When she was talking to
the owner who proposed an addition Bristow noted that little bump out complicated things quite a bit as
they have a very small house and so they want to make any addition simple and not complicate the
house too much. She was not sure how they would resolve the roof and some of the set-in
requirements because of the grade falling off.
Bristow used the property information viewer image and sketched in where an addition would be and it
looked like they do drop two feet or so by the time they get from where the current back is to the new
back of the house. Bristow showed the existing house plan with a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms
and a tiny hall bathroom. The proposed addition is to increase accessibility because as of right now to
come into this house and go to either of the bedrooms one would have to enter into the small hallway
with doors that don't allow for wheelchair accessibility. The plan proposes an addition where that bump
out is. Where the bedrooms were in the original plan, one is now labeled closet and it will have the
window replaced with a door that goes into a large bathroom that's accessible and a large bedroom that
is also accessible through the kitchen area. The roof issue is resolved by basically removing one wall
of the bump out and the roof will be replaced to go over the entire addition including the porch.
Bristow compared the existing rear elevation noting the existing door and the two windows and looking
at the new addition elevations. She noted that the new addition is set-in on the west side and the wall of
the new bedroom is technically set-in on the east side as well by encapsulating both the existing bump
out and the new addition under the one roof it keeps it simple for a small house. Staff would
recommend approving this addition even though it doesn't necessarily fit some of the ways they
normally like to see additions done as they're not maintaining the roof on that little bump out but
removing it and basically keeping the little salt box that was probably built historically with a crossing
gable coming off the back. The main gable roof of the house is much taller so they won't be seeing this
addition from the front and since the new wall is set-in that won't be visible either. The porch will have
the beam that is typically seen on a porch. The one thing that did come up in the guidelines was the
guidelines are very clear that a new porch must be built with traditional porch construction which means
that the one column will have a pier under it and whether or not there is skirting under there would be
up to them because it's going to be close to grade but it would need to still have that traditional porch
construction. Also doing so would help them reduce the size of their foundation so it might help reduce
the cost too.
Bristow showed the west elevation and the entryway to the existing house and the addition. She noted
the windows will be separated by framing with a piece of trim instead of being ganged directly together.
On the east elevation she pointed out where the existing bump out area was on the existing house and
the recessed area for the new addition. She noted they don't want to see a large expanse of wall that
doesn't have a window in it but because this is also recessed into the porch staff doesn't find it really
concerning. Bristow shared some of the guidelines such as doors trimmed to match other doors,
preserving the original roof pitches and spans at least with that front salt box at the entry and all of that,
preserving the original walls and vertical corners that define the massing of a historic building and while
they are not preserving the roof for that bump out they are setting in from the northwest corner and
preserving the actual bump out, adding windows that match the type and everything of the historic
windows, adding new windows in a location that's consistent and this does have a few more paired
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 13, 2024
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windows on the back that are somewhat traditional in spacing so staff didn't find that concerning.
Bristow noted again they want the addition to be set-in so they can distinguish between the historic
structure and the new but yet still need to match the eave lines, the window sill and head heights and
those other horizontal lines on the building. The siding will match, it will be a lap sighting that has
mitered corners to match the historic house, the foundation will need to match.
The recommended motion for this project is to approve it with the conditions that the porch follows the
traditional porch construction since the drawings didn't indicate that and that the windows are revised
as noted and approval of the door product.
Thomann is curious as they've got the porch that's at the back of the house but the stairs are coming
off to the side, why not off the back. Bristow stated in this case it is because of the slope and change in
grade to avoid a larger number of stairs.
Sellergren asked if there are any guidelines about having a porch or stairs off the side. Bristow is not
aware of any, it is required that the stairs have closed risers and some other things that are part of the
design but the only time they would really want a stair on the back is if it was a two-story stair for
something that's maybe not as historical. But if that is an issue for the Commission they could discuss
it further.
Mark Russo (1210 Sheridan Drive) is here with his wife Diana and stated the whole purpose of this
addition is that as they age they want to get into a simpler arrangement and this is all one floor. He
acknowledged the grade doesn't cooperate real well but it would be easy to grow old in this house
because it's all one level. He noted the reason the stairway is on the side is because there's a flat area
of grade at the back of the existing bump out that's about 8ft and then there's a drop off of at least 30in
or more and there's nothing in the back except a yard so that stairway needs to return whoever is using
it to the front which is unfortunately where they have to park because whoever landscaped this house
years ago did not allow for any garage nor the ability to put in a garage unless they build a 10-ft
retaining wall to the east and that's just not going to happen. If they did go to the north with the
stairway it would have to be probably a 15ft stairway they're trying to avoid those issues. Also,
regarding the age of the bump out, it wasn't in that original drawing but the siding is all continuous, so
he has a hard time believing that this siding was removed to accommodate the bump out. The siding is
mitered so it starts at the south end and goes all the way to the north end and additionally in the
basement the cement wall was framed and not cut because there is a funny little storm shelter
underneath, and somebody built a cement bench. This was all likely done in 1939 or 1940, prior to the
nuclear age but that's what he knows about that and it might have been original. He will have to go
back and look at it all more closely, it's an odd little structure that is a little dining area off of the kitchen
and it's about 6 by 6 so two people can have breakfast or dinner in there but that's all. They did
recently rebuild the windows by Wadsworth Construction and bought storms from Adams Architectural
so all the fenestration is original and completely working. His hope is they can find a manufacturer that
at least in terms of look can replicate that. This house has been gone through the mill apparently it was
owned by a an anthropology professor who left every summer for an archaeological dig and turned the
yard over to the neighborhood as a community garden but it was really never attended to and up close
the siding is really an issue because it's all peeling and there's so many layers of paint that have been
applied and then blistered off.
Bristow noted when she looked at the past inspector's notes both of the times they said it desperately
needed to be scraped and painted. Russo stated four years ago they had it scraped and painted and
now are right back to it looking as it did before. He is afraid he'll have to be a little more aggressive do
a project and perhaps have the siding removed and run through a machine to get it off because they
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 13, 2024
Page 8 of 11
just can't scrape it off and there are also issues of lead, but that would be a different project to discuss
later.
Wagner had a question about which Sanborn Map Iowa City has because he stated one can go to the
Library of Congress and go to their Sanborn Maps and they have each year that it's issued. Bristow
acknowledged that but said they just don't have the 1930s ones and that may have something to do
with what's in the public domain.
MOTION: Beck moves to recommend approval of a certificate of appropriateness for the project
at 1210 Sheridan Avenue as presented in the staff report with the following conditions: the
porch follows traditional porch construction, windows are revised as noted, and door and
window product information is reviewed by staff. Wagner seconded the motion.
Thomann noted this is a lovely house and appreciates them sharing their stories about it and really
respects and appreciates that they're wanting to age in place.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0.
REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF
Bristow noted in an effort to not have as many projects without a permit they are going back to what the
Zoning Code really says and it does require that they review anything that requires a regulated permit
that makes a material change and is in a historic district. So that means they will be reviewing some
basic venting and stuff like that. Generally these are issued a certificate of no material effect and as
long as it's not in an impactful area staff is approving it. However now the Commission will see these in
the staff report.
Certificate of No Material Effect-Chair and Staff review
HPC24-0035: 722 East College Street— College Green Historic District (mechanical venting):
Bristow stated they have a kitchen area down in the basement of this church and are putting in some
vents. There will be one on the side wall and the rear, both in areas where they are not visible from the
street.
HPC24-0036: 903 Iowa Avenue— College Hill Conservation District (mechanical venting):
Bristow explained on the back of the house it will have a vent between a back entry and a window that
for a bathroom venting as they're adding a bathroom this house. This property is very interesting, it is a
key property in this Conservation District and yet it has synthetic siding. It was damaged during the
tornado.
HPC24-0042: 1501 Center Avenue— Longfellow Historic District (siding replacement):
Bristow stated one of the recent storms blew off the siding of this Moffit house. This house is
contributing to the District and has had synthetic siding applied but in this case they approved them to
just replace what's in the gable and they could match it and are going to paint it because that gable was
the only part that was damaged from the storm. Also the porch is a reconstruction, it would not have
had these spindle columns.
HPC24-0049: 515 Rundell Street— Longfellow Historic District (concrete stoop replacement):
Bristow noted this house changed hands recently and it's been glorious to see its transformation. It
was probably just a rental house before and now has been purchased by an owner who is completely
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 13, 2024
Page 9 of 11
reworking things which is exciting. This project is replacing the concrete stoop.
Minor Review—Staff review
HPC24-0017: 818 Rundell Street— Dearborn Street Conservation District (railing replacement and
exhaust venting):
Bristow stated this is a house on Dearborn that has synthetic siding, the porch has been reconstructed,
it is actually a house that would have never had these spindled columns or this spindled railing, the
railing is off the shelf from Menard's and it's way too small and too far apart in spacing. They needed to
replace the railing now since it's falling apart and staff suggested square spindles and to matching the
guidelines with the spacing.
HPC24-0047: 830 E Davenport Street—Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District (enlarged rear
stoop and stairs):
Bristow explained they're replacing the railing and on the back the house has several bump outs and
additions and several little stoops. One will be enlarged slightly and the railing will now follow the
guidelines.
Intermediate Review -Chair and Staff review
HPC24-0037: 820 Park Road — Local Historic Landmark (roof shingle replacement with shingle-style
metal roof):
Bristow explained it's time to replace the roof on this house and it has actually always had an asphalt
roof. This was a house built by an engineer and the City proposed to do a metal shingle and the Chair
and staff agreed that could fit within what Ned Ashton probably would have wanted to do given the fact
he was an engineer and given the fact that they have come pretty far in being able to make these
shingles look like historic shingles now. Bristow showed some examples of what the shingle tends to
look like when it's installed and the color that they're going with.
CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR MAY 22, 2024:
MOTION: Wagner moves to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's May
22, 2024. Beck seconded the motion The motion carried on a vote of 8-0.
COMMISSION DISCUSSION:
Work Plan and subcommittees:
Bristow stated they started emailing about the awards and stuff so that's good. She was going to get a
list of potential landmarks from the past hasn't done that yet.
Sellergren noted Ginalie from Friends of Historic Preservation sent out an email to all of their members
requesting nominations this afternoon. Bristow noted they try not award the same properties and the
same people all the time and also do awards for residential rehabilitation on anything on the exterior if
anyone has nominations. There are also stewardship awards for anyone who has maintained it for a
very long time over time. Sellergren stated the goal is to have a good list by July and the next thing
they'll need to do is pick a date and find a location.
COMMISSION INFORMATION:
Sellergren went to the forum but was only there for a few hours but it was very interesting and they got
a tour of Mount Pleasant. The town square is very nice with some really cool brick buildings like a large
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 13, 2024
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brick hotel in the corner of the square and the first woman lawyer in the United States was sworn in at
one of the buildings that's facing the square, the first courthouse in Iowa was located, there's also Iowa
Wesleyan College there which just recently closed, it has a lot of old buildings and was the oldest
college west of the Mississippi.
Bristow did a lot of tours and attended a session that was more geared to mid-century properties and
what's historic and working with them. One of the tours had to do with the Underground Railroad and
what's interesting is a town south of that had a large Quaker population and the Quakers felt that they
were not beholden to the laws of the land but beholden to higher laws and so they helped the Freedom
Seekers. They toured a house owned by a Quaker family where they had places basically below the
floor where people could hide. She also went on a tour that included the house that James Van Allen
lived in and one of the descendants of one of his brothers was there for part of the tour. There was
also a house that was lived in by one of Abraham Lincoln's sons and his wife. Sellergren and Bristow
both saw a tour related to rehab and Bristow went on another one that was adaptive reuse. Their city
hall building now is offices down below and apartments above. It's a tiny city hall and not anything like
what Iowa City would have but interesting. It was a very good conference, and she made notes for
things that relate to Iowa City. Sellergren noted next year it's in Muscatine which will be interesting as a
river town.
Bristow stated the only other thing is Commissioner elections will need to happen at the July meeting.
Beck was reappointed and Stork is cycling off the Commission. Bristow thanked Stork for his service
and noted it has been very good to have him on the Commission because it is necessary to have a
dissenting opinion as they do not need to be a unanimous voting body and it's very valuable to have
people like him who live in the District and know what's going on be on the Commission.
Wagner discussed the Terrace Mound open house on Saturday, it's a house he has been working on at
5053 Highway 6 East, right across from Kinder Farm. It is an 1873 house that has been renovated and
restored, the open house is Saturday from 1 pm to 4pm.
ADJOURNMENT
Villanueva moved to adjourn the meeting. Lewis seconded The motion carried on a vote of 8-0.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:43pm.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD
2023-2024
TERM 7/13 8/10 9/14 10/12 11/9 12/14 1/11 2/8 3/21 4/24 5/22 6/13
NAM E EXP.
BECK, 6/30/24 X X X O/E X X X X X X X X
MARGARET
BROWN, 6/30/26 X O/E X X O/E X O/E O/E X X O/E X
CARL
LEWIS, 6/30/26 X X X X X X X X X X X X
ANDREW
SELLERGREN, 6/30/25 X X X X X X X X X X X X
JORDAN
STORK, NOAH 6/30/24 X X X X X X O/E X X X X X
THOMANN, 6/30/26 X X X X X X X X X X X X
DEANNA
VILLANUEVA, 6/30/25 X X X O/E X X X X X X X X
NICOLE
WAGNER, 6/30/26 O/E X X X X X X X X X X X
FRANK
WELU- 6/30/25 O/E X X X X X X X X O/E X O/E
REYNOLDS,
CHRISTINA
KEY: X = Present
O = Absent
O/E= Absent/Excused
--- = Not a member
Item Number: 4.f.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
September 3, 2024
Historic Preservation Commission: July 11
Attachments: Historic Preservation Commission: July 11
MINUTES APPROVED
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
J U LY 1 1 , 2024 — 5:30 PM — FORMAL MEETING
E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Margaret Beck, Kevin Burford, Andrew Lewis, Jordan Sellergren, Deanna
Thomann, Nicole Villanueva, Frank Wagner, Christina Welu-Reynolds
MEMBERS ABSENT: Carl Brown
STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow
OTHERS PRESENT: Jeff Clark
CALL TO ORDER:
Sellergren called the meeting to order at 5:30 p m.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None.
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
HPC24-0026: 410-412 North Clinton Street-Local Historic Landmark (portion of related new
construction on the rear of the property):
Bristow explained this project is the development that is associated with landmarking the historic house
at 410-412 Clinton Street. It is located across from the University of Iowa Currier Hall. In 2016 the
Commission decided to go ahead and landmark some brick houses that were not protected because
they're important structures that could be demolished and this house was one of them. At that time the
owner objected and so the Iandmarking failed at the Council level. Following that the property changed
hands and since then City staff has been working with the owner/developer on a project that would
landmark the house in exchange for some leniency of zoning code requirements for a new adjacent
development.
Sellergren asked for clarification on what would happen if the owner decided that he did not want to
compromise, would there have been any restrictions on any development they wanted to do. Bristow
explained if the owner had not agreed to landmark the house then the development would have to
follow the normal zoning codes and they worked with Planning and Zoning staff and Commission on the
plan. The Historic Preservation Commission and the Friends of Historic Preservation have commented
on some of the development proposal along the way and this is the third time that the proposal is being
seen. Because the new owner wants a multifamily development it has to go through lots of multiple
reviews and has been a very long process.
Bristow stated the lot that the historic house is on consists of the 1865 house which has a small two-
story addition that was in place by 1899 as documented on the historic Sanborn maps. The apartment
addition was likely added in the 1960s, and there was a small garage at one point in the mid-1930s that
is clearly not there now. There is a different existing garage. It is unclear from the Sanborn maps
whose garage it was historically because of the fact that the way this block was originally platted it had
large blocks with many houses and garages so it's just really unclear historically who this garage was
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
July 11, 2024
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associated with. The development agreement will take down the house at 400 North Clinton (on the
corner) and 112 East Davenport and there will be a multifamily unit that is placed there, the garage on
the landmark lot would also come down. Bristow shared some photos of the 1860s house, the front
fagade and looking back at the apartment brick building noting it's clearly from the 1960s and the
connection to the brick structure of the addition has been covered in siding so they don't know what the
condition of that wall is. She also showed some photos of the garage, it's a two-car garage and does
have some historic doors that tilt up and a small window with lap siding. The garage is in reparable
condition, but it is a requirement for the development to proceed for the garage to come down.
Therefore, part of this review is to approve the demolition of the garage.
The first time that this new development came to the Commission was in January 2020, it shows a six-
story building it has a mansard roof echoing the roof on Currier Hall across the street. At that time the
comments both from the Commission and Friends of Historic Preservation talked a lot about height and
one of the suggestions was that the mansard roof or hipped roof actually adds quite a large amount of
height and mass to that roof, so the suggestion was to make it a flat roof instead. There was also a
request to reduce it from six floors to five. After the discussion in January 2020 the developer came
back in December 2020 with a building that was now the five stories and had the flat roof reducing the
size in order to make it viable, it also included a wing that went behind the historic house that was three
stories instead of five. The proposal before the Commission now is the review of the portion of the
development that is within the property of the landmark house. The remainder of the development is
going through the design review process with Planning and Zoning like any other property and the other
part of the project was that the historic house which will be rehabilitated according to the Secretary of
the Interior standards and this Commission already went through that review process and it was
approved with one of the requirements that before they can get the certificate of occupancy to the new
development they will need to complete that rehabilitation.
Bristow explained that part of what was discussed in the second iteration was there was always going
to be a brick wall that went from the corner of the facade across to the development to make a
courtyard area but one of the comments from a previous review was to not connect that wall to the
historic brick structure as an 1860s house has very soft brick and also a soft limestone foundation.
Therefore, they have included a gap there and it'll have a metal gate with some landscaping to make
the open space for the project. Behind the landmark house will be the three-story flat roof building and
both the wall and a lower course area of the building will have a darker brick that will match closely to
the historic house brick color and then the upper floor will have a lighter brick that will still blend into a
transition. There will be double hung windows in at least what staff would consider an appropriate
shape, enough rectangular to mimic some of the historic windows, and then it also shows they're going
to do a brick inset between the windows. Bristow noted that's not something that they'd see on a
historic structure but at the same time it is part of a modern development so staff doesn't find that
problematic.
Bristow showed the site plan and elevations noting in the north elevation they've included a sight line
and it shows when you're in front of the historic house from the street you are not going to be able to
see the development. Looking down the alley is when you can see the apartment building behind the
historic house the overhead doors for the garage access because the garage is below grade and there
are apartments on the second and third floor. The east elevation is from the neighboring property and
shows more of the details of how that lower course of brick is darker and the paired double hung
windows. Bristow noted two things when she was going through the drawings which will be part of the
staff recommendation. First there is a set of windows on the first floor and second is that the balconies
are fully projecting. On the first floor plan the main part of the building is the garage access and
understandably there's no windows in that wall however the guidelines would suggest that windows
should be there so that any parking in the bottom level of a property does not make the building look
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
July 11, 2024
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like it is sitting on top of a plinth or a bare masonry structure. Staff would recommend it to match what
that east elevation shows and include the windows on the east elevation. She doesn't think they need
to be on the west elevation as it is so close to the apartment building that it wouldn't make any
difference to anyone unless they were standing in the alley. Regarding the balconies, on the second-
floor plan they can see that while the balcony projects a little bit it is mostly recessed into the structure
of the building but on the third floor plan it's actually shifted over a little bit and not recessed so the staff
recommendation would be to inset them within the structure instead of having them completely exterior.
Bristow next reviewed the guidelines, the balconies have metal railings instead of wood which they tend
to approve on a residential property but they should still meet the dimensional requirements and
because it's not an addition to the historic house, it's a new structure, it would suggest that it follow
those guidelines. Regarding siding the guidelines only says using siding that is consistent with the
architectural style of the new building. Most historic siding in Iowa City is wood fiber cement siding with
a smooth finish ad that is an acceptable substitute for wood siding. She noted on the rear elevation it's
her understanding that the proposal is that would be a metal siding and according to the guidelines that
should not be metal siding but a wood or a cement board siding. If it were metal siding it would fall into
the realm of synthetic siding and while they do have an exception in the guidelines to allow synthetic
siding but not on a landmark property even if it's a new construction (such as a new outbuilding).
Another guideline is about the demolition of garage, typically they suggest keeping them and so it will
be by exception that the Commission would be approving the demolition of this garage because it's in
good enough shape that it wouldn't normally come down as a deteriorated garage. The other guidelines
that they would follow for this project are ones that they rarely use and are for multifamily buildings.
One is about lighting and Bristow didn't have a lighting plan with this project to know if it's following that
portion of the guidelines so that will have to be approved in the design review. The goal with that
guideline is to just not have a whole lot of light pollution. It also includes guidelines about parking lots
and garages, in this development they are putting the parking below and entering off the alley from the
rear so would be following the guideline where it says if parking is located below a building any
exposed portions of the exterior walls must appear to be a component of the facade of the building and
use similar materials and window openings which is why staff would suggest that those windows are
included on the first floor in the east elevation. Staff did ask the developer about the architectural
detailing and their response was they're building a new construction behind a 1960s apartment building
that is behind a historic house and so the goal is to have this new construction fade into the background
so that it's not drawing attention to itself and not competing with the historic house. Staff finds that an
acceptable approach. The guidelines regarding balcony decks and other things states they should be
designed so they are integrated into the overall design of the building, methods of integrating them may
include partially recessing them into the fagade, placing them under a roof that is integrated into the
overall roof plan, utilizing supports such as columns or walls. Because part of the balcony decks are
not recessed they are not meeting the guideline and that is why staff does recommend that they
recessed the third floor balconies similar to those as shown on the second floor plan. Regarding roof
lines, the guidelines states roofs should reflect the predominant roof type of existing buildings and the
roof configuration of bringing the height and volume down for the overall development was necessary
so they wouldn't have a hip roof on this wing that goes behind the historic house. The placement of
windows and doors on street elevations should be consistent with the window and door patterning
found in other properties and the guideline also talks about the proportions of the windows. As Bristow
showed on the front elevation there are a couple double hung windows. The Secretary of Interior
Standards talks about making sure that new additions, alterations, or new construction shall not destroy
the historic materials that characterize the property. The only concern was about the wall and not
compromising the historic masonry and it's not attached and it's in a compatible but much more
simplified style. The guidelines also state new additions or adjacent new constructions shall be
undertaken in a manner that if removed the historic property is unimpaired which is why not connecting
the new building to the historic structure will be best.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
July 11, 2024
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Staff recommends approval a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 410-412 North Clinton
Street as presented in the staff report with the following conditions:
• plans are revised to include the first-floor windows on the east elevation;
• to inset the balconies as shown on the second floor plan;
• window and door product is submitted for review by staff;
• aluminum siding is revised to a product that complies with the guidelines and is reviewed by
staff and Chair.
Thomann is curious about the first-floor windows on the east elevation and if the cars that are going into
that garage would they be visible through the windows. Bristow is unsure but is assuming that the
windows will be four feet off the ground however the floor of the garage is sloping down, but it could be
possible the cars in the garage will be visible through the windows. Thomann noted her own
experiences being a pedestrian walking down the street and thinking it's just a regular building and then
suddenly seeing cars moving can be a strange feeling.
Wagner noted as far as the demolition of the garage it would be nice if Friends of Historic Preservation
would have been invited to salvage whatever materials. Bristow noted the owner is here and maybe
can speak to that, he knows that suggestion and they are salvaging the other buildings.
Jeff Clark (applicant) stated this has been a 5-year project now that they've been trying to get going.
Covid slowed it down quite a bit but over the last year they've been back on track trying to get this done
and working with staff members at the City through it all. As far as the garage he's been working with
The Salvage Barn on the other houses and after they get stuff out of the garage he'll have private
salvage people coming in as well to take things down. Regarding the windows he wanted to note on
that east side there's an apartment building directly behind it that runs lengthwise and so the windows
are virtually going to be covered but if it is required it's not a problem to put them in so long as there
isn't a code issue for any kind of separation. He stated the siding on this building was originally
designed to be metal siding so changing the product for one portion, and in a portion that actually faces
the alley, instead of just leaving it consistent with the rest of the building seems unnecessary. However
they haven't chosen the siding yet as he is a having difficulty getting siding contractors to actually
provide a sample but they'll get something prior to the construction but again it would be one portion
essentially that would go to a different type of product and if they want to keep the building consistent
they'd like to do it all in aluminum.
Sellergren asked for clarification on the north facing section that would require a different siding, it
would just be the different siding on the lower portion of the building. Clark confirmed yes, the upper
portion would use materials to match the large building and they want to use the same material
between both buildings.
MOTION: Wagner moves for approval of a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 410-
412 North Clinton Street as presented in the staff report with the following conditions:
• plans are revised to include the first-floor windows on the east elevation;
• to insert the balconies as shown on the second floor plan;
• window and door product is submitted for review by staff and;
• aluminum siding is revised to a product that complies with the guidelines and is
reviewed by staff and chair.
Villanueva seconded.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
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Sellergren stated she personally is fine with the material of the builder's choice as long as staff and the
Chair have an opportunity to view it but personally thinks it's more important that it matches the rest of
the building. Regarding the windows it's very hard for her to visualize what it might look like without
them and might regret it if it is just a brick wall and the people who live in the apartment building next
door might not like it, but it's hard to visualize that right now.
Lewis noted it feels consistent with not including them, there have been a lot of other things that they
have deemed not necessary if it's only visible from one perspective and would be okay not requiring
them.
Villanueva noted if someone is a resident of the building next door they could either look and see
windows which would be nice but then also could see cars driving which could be confusing or see a
blank brick wall and in that case the ideal scenario would be thoughtful landscaping.
Sellergren stated she voiced her thoughts as a pedestrian and what would it be like to be in the building
next door. On a functional level is it best to have windows looking into a garage and to parked cars or
driving cars and will the driving cars headlights shine into the living space next door, it's so hard to
visualize.
Sellergren noted her thought regarding the windows is people wouldn't see cars driving along the line of
the windows, the cars would be well beneath the windows by that point.
Thomann maybe they need to think about the happiness of the drivers, and do they want daylight as
they're driving through the garage but then also assuming the garage will be lit at night will the light
coming out of that garage from those windows be frustrating to immediate neighbors.
Welu-Reynolds stated one of the things they've discussed as a Commission is being flexible and this is
an opportunity demonstrate that and decide if the Commission feels the windows are necessary. She
is also okay with the siding being consistent with the rest of the building so they could just take those
two things off of the motion. Staff and the Chair could still approve the siding but not state it has to be
cement siding.
Wagner wondered if the architect designer leave those out specifically just because it's of the revision
or is there a vision that those windows should be there.
Sellergren stated without taking the parking into consideration whatsoever the building looks much
nicer with three stories of windows.
Burford noted aesthetically they're like false windows so he thinks they could do without them.
AMENDED MOTION: Wagner moves for approval of a certificate of appropriateness for the
project at 410-412 North Clinton Street as presented in the staff Report with the following
conditions:
• plans are revised to inset the balconies as shown on the second floor plan;
• window and door product is submitted for review by staff and;
• siding sample will be reviewed by staff and chair.
Lewis seconded.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
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HPC23-0070: 937 East Davenport Street- Local Historic Landmark (rear addition):
Bristow noted this application is for an addition on the back of this landmark property located at 937
East Davenport Street. The owner landmarked it because she had rehabbed it and extensively
researched the Czech people and this family. Once she was completed with the rehabbing and
landmarking she wanted to sell the property but has had difficulty selling it. The owner decided to add
an addition and while one might think adding just a single room onto a small house is just really simple
and easy it's actually extremely complicated. The house is a small side gabled one-story house, there
is a little attic area with stairs that go up to it but it's not an occupiable space legally because it doesn't
have the appropriate head height. During the landmarking process it was learned that at one point
there was the couple and their four children who were living in this little, tiny space so they had put a
cross gabled structure on the back and so now have the side gabled and then a rear-facing gable that
was added. Then after that another little rear-facing gable was added, all in place by the 1920s.
Bristow is unsure when the porch was added, there is also a very small amount of dugout basement
under a portion of the house that is accessed through the porch floor but it's also clear that this house
was originally a crawl space so it was dug out in order to have a water heater and connections added.
When the owner did the rehab she extended the porch and added French doors. Bristow also wanted
to note that the roof the owner has put on the house is not a roof that is approved typically and in fact
have started requiring approval of roof changes in order to prevent roofs like this. Looking at the back
of the house Bristow pointed out a single window and this proposal would change that to a door.
Another thing to point out is the floor level and anytime they would approve an addition it should be at
the same floor level and not step it down but this has a much lower roof line and will need the step
down.
There are guidelines for additions about continuing the horizontal lines like eave condition, guidelines
about retaining the corners of the house and some of that gets a little bit difficult with this project.
Bristow showed more views of the side of the house and pointed out the oldest addition noting it is at
the same height as the rest of the house but the later addition steps down.
Bristow noted a concern because the drawings are somewhat inconsistent and somewhat inaccurate.
The site plan shows the property line and the front portion of the house and the plan is to add to the
back of the house. She has talked to the owner about set-ins, they are showing a 6-inch set-in, and
this house doesn't really have big eave overhangs it's pretty tight and simple. The zoning code requires
a 5-foot setback off the property line and they've drawn that in here but in no way is that accurate with
the property lines. It might be possible for them to get a minor modification to reduce the property line
on the side but it still has to be like 3-foot or so.
Bristow stated the original application was submitted to lift the entire house and replace the entire
foundation but that's over $100,000 project and so an intermediate step would be to just repair the
foundation in the front room but that was still like a $70,000 project. So at this point it is not clear how
they will move it over or meet the property line requirements.
{Frank Wagner left the meeting.}
Bristow noted the addition will be a slab on grade however the back of the house is already out of the
ground a little bit and slopes and so the addition will be further out of the ground and it is highly likely
that they won't be able to do it as just a slab on grade it'll probably need to have a frost footing but that
will be something that will come out of the building code review. It would also then have to have a step
and stoop because it's not going to be at grade. There are also some complications with the gutter in
between where the porch roof was extended over the existing roof and there are some water issues
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
July 11, 2024
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with that. Bristow is not sure how the new addition roof meets the existing 1920s addition because it's
not clear in the drawings. Overall staff is still not sure how all of these parts are going to come together
especially in regard to the roof.
Sellergren is curious if they had a completely separate structure that was not attached except by like a
hallway or breezeway would that make things less complicated or more complicated. Bristow noted the
guidelines do say that one of the ways to differentiate between a historic structure and an addition is to
attach the addition through a breezeway and that breezeway can be fully enclosed. The zoning code
has some rules about attached garages and breezeways that would have to be abided by.
Bristow stated given the size of things that are going on here she does not think that the appropriate
addition is just another gable and extend the train back. She noted they would rather keep that last
pod as something where they know where it's extent is and not just extend it and setting an addition
smaller than they normally do, that would become an unusable space. She stated it might be
appropriate to do a cross gable that matches the other end so that basically they have two side gable
structures connected by a rear-facing gable. The current drawings have not worked out how things are
going to meet or how the roofs are going to work together and as part of the City design review process
they will normally go through can resolve roof issues like that.
Bristow stated the guidelines are typical as for all additions, to matching openings and she reiterated
staff suggests they match that back portion with windows that match, she would use wood so there's no
question about the materiality of new siding or trim and matching the key horizontal lines of the old
addition to the new addition.
Lewis stated it looks like they don't have clarity on some of the plans yet so how do they approve this
application. Bristow explained there are a couple things that they could do, they could defer the whole
project as they know the building permit process is going to require additional drawings, that's been
communicated however she is not sure it's really been understood, the Commission could also say that
potentially this does not need to come back to the Commission but could be reviewed at an
intermediate review level between staff and Chair.
Thomann stated she trusts staff and the Chair to adhere to guidelines but is concerned that it's a
landmark property and are they going against their ethics as a Commission by allowing major
alterations on a historic property. Welu-Reynolds stated it can it be done gracefully as long as it follows
the rules of an addition.
Bristow noted the Commission can approve the idea of an addition but then have conditions to review
the window and door and roofing. Bristow would prefer that the Commission decide if they want to
allow an exception so she can match the roof that's on the rest of the house or require her to have the
new portion of the roof be something that's allowed by guidelines. She reiterated the entire reason they
review roofs is to avoid that specific roof however just having an addition not match the rest of the
house, that is something the Commission will have to voice an opinion on.
Lewis noted this is the ghost of a recommendation because there are so many things that need to be
met. Bristow agreed nothing they need to match the floor height of the existing southern room, the
wood siding, corner boards and other trim to match the historic house, the windows match that south
facing window that won't exist anymore and that the roof and addition configuration is reviewed by staff
and chair.
Sellergren noted that the water issues would be addressed as well. Bristow stated there are some code
requirements that will address some of it, the owner has applied for a building permit and does plan to
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
July 11, 2024
Page 8 of 11
move forward right away but the building permit will not be able to be approved until they meet code.
Staff recommends approval a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 937 East Davenport
Street as presented in the application with the following conditions:
• window, door, and roofing product information is submitted for review by staff;
• the eave and floor height of the existing southern room is matched in the new addition;
• the addition has wood lap siding, corner boards and other trim to match the historic
• house and;
• the windows match the proportion of the south- facing window in the rear addition.
Lewis is not fully sure what the building permit's going to reject out of this proposal or what they'll have
to change and has this weird irrational fear of if they approve this and she gets whatever the building
permit changes are asked for, will she just go off without getting the rest of the approval that this is
requiring. Bristow confirmed the City wouldn't issue the Certificate of Appropriateness until these are
done
MOTION: Welu-Reynolds moves to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at
937 East Davenport Street as presented in the application with the following conditions:
• window door and Roofing product information is submitted for review by staff;
• the even floor height of the existing southern room is matched in the new addition;
• the addition has wood lap siding, corner boards and other trim to match the historic
house;
• the windows match the proportion of the south facing window in the rear addition and;
• the roof and addition configuration is reviewed by staff and chair.
Lewis seconds the motion.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 7-0 (Wagner not present).
REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF:
Certificate of No Material Effect-Chair and Staff review
HPC24-0051: 529 Brown Street- Brown Street Historic District (roof material replacement):
Bristow stated this is a key property, the bump out has a new roof that will need minor staff review.
Minor Review—Staff review
HPC24-0044: 921 Dearborn Street- Dearborn Street Conservation District (basement egress window):
This small house is on Dearborn Street all the way at the end, there is one rear basement window that
will become an egress window with a window well.
HPC24-0050: 312 South Governor- Governor-Lucas Street Conservation District (driveway and
sidewalk approach replacement):
The driveway and sidewalk approach are both being replaced and easily meets the guidelines. They
were able to enlarge the driveway apron just a little bit so there's easier access, Bristow noted they are
reviewing the replacement of the porch steps too because they're getting rid of the steps by regrading
the entire yard.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
July 11, 2024
Page 9 of 11
HPC24-0052: 520 Brown Street- Brown Street Historic District (roof shingle replacement):
Bristow stated they normally approve brown or gray asphalt shingles as to look as similar to wood
shingles as possible however when asphalt shingles first started the grit that they used was a natural
material and it happened to most often be either green because it was slate or red and so historically
there was a period in time where if someone had asphalt shingles they could only get them in green or
red and there was also a time when it was popular. So when someone wants to do green staff does a
little research and determines if it might be appropriate given the time period of the house and that was
the case here.
Intermediate Review -Chair and Staff review
HPC24-0046: 515 Clark Street- Clark Street Conservation District (window alterations to garage):
This property has a garage that was originally just a garage and then somebody added a screen porch
to it which is a little strange so it's totally modified. The current owner is going to use it as a studio but
the only thing they're going to modify is adding two more windows to the back to match the existing
windows and then also put in a wall air conditioner unit.
HPC24-0053: 1230 East Burlington Street- College Hill Conservation District (rear basement wall
reconstruction):
This house is a little Cape Cod that originally had a basement garage and in the 1970s they turned the
basement garage into an apartment and also added an addition. What has happened is they're getting
a lot of water in there so they need to replace rear basement wall. They will be taking out the wood
frame portion of the wall and replacing it with block to match the rest of the foundation.
CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR JUNE 11, 2024:
MOTION: Thomann moves to defer approval the minutes of the Historic Preservation
Commission's June 11, 2024 meeting. Beck seconded the motion The motion carried on a vote
of 7-0 (Wagner not present).
COMMISSION DISCUSSION:
Commission Officer Elections:
Bristow noted that at the July meeting each year they vote for a new officers, the vote takes place in
July and then the position changes at the August meeting.
Thomann moved to nominate Lewis as Vice Chair, Beck seconded, the motion carried on a vote
of 7-0 (Wagner not present).
Beck moved to nominate Sellergren as Chair, Villanueva seconded, the motion carried on a vote
of 7-0 (Wagner not present).
Work Plan and subcommittees:
Sellergren stated the awards subcommittee discussed pushing the awards ceremony to February.
They first thought about October and then talked about how that might be difficult and ended on
February. However, that would be the first time they've actually skipped a full year as it would be 16
months since the last ceremony. Bristow stated the preference normally would be to always do it
during preservation month which is May but that is a really bad time with graduations, people gearing
up and sending in applications for projects, etc. and the issue with doing it in September this year is
they don't have enough time.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
July 11, 2024
Page 10 of 11
Sellergren stated she thinks February seems fine but would ask the subcommittee to also prepare for
the next round and making this process have structure. Bristow stated it is a lot of work to get the
nominations together and ready for the subcommittee, but all of the real work begins after the award is
decided in contacting different people and gathering information. Sellergren asked who typically does
that work. Bristow stated she used to do it all, because the project has gone through this process so
she usually knows who the owner is or who the contractor is and would have that contact information
but it's something that maybe she can somehow compile and hand it off.
The Commission agreed to a February date.
ADJOURNMENT
Beck moved to adjourn the meeting. Lewis seconded The motion carried on a vote of 7-0
(Wagner not present).
The meeting was adjourned at 6:45pm.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD
2023-2024
TERM 8/10 9/14 10/12 11/9 12/14 1/11 2/8 3/21 4/24 5/22 6/13 7/11
NAM E EXP.
BECK, 6/30/24 X X O/E X X X X X X X X X
MARGARET
BROWN, 6/30/26 O/E X X O/E X O/E O/E X X O/E X O/E
CARL
BURFORD, 6/30/27 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- X
KEVI N
LEWIS, 6/30/26 X X X X X X X X X X X X
ANDREW
RUSSELL, 6/30/27 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- O/E
RYAN
SELLERGREN, 6/30/25 X X X X X X X X X X X X
JORDAN
STORK, NOAH 6/30/24 X X X X X O/E X X X X X ---
THOMANN, 6/30/26 X X X X X X X X X X X X
DEANNA
VILLANUEVA, 6/30/25 X X O/E X X X X X X X X X
NICOLE
WAGNER, 6/30/26 X X X X X X X X X X X X
FRANK
WELU- 6/30/25 X X X X X X X X O/E X O/E X
REYNOLDS,
CHRISTINA
KEY: X = Present
O = Absent
O/E= Absent/Excused
--- = Not a member
Item Number: 4.g.
r 1 CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
September 3, 2024
Housing & Community Development Commission: June 13 [See Recommendation]
Attachments: Housing & Community Development Commission: June 13 [See
Recommendation]
r
CITY OF IOWA CITY
MEMORANDUM
Date: August 20, 2024
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Brianna Thul, Community Development Planner
Re: Recommendations from Housing and Community Development Commission
At their June 13, 2024 meeting, the Housing and Community Development Commission made
the following recommendation to the City Council:
Dennis moved to recommend approval of the FY25 Annual Action Plan. Patel seconded. A
vote was taken and the motion passed 6-0.
Additional action (check one)
No further action needed
Board or Commission is requesting Council direction
X Agenda item will be prepared by staff for Council action
(Approved by Council at the June 18,2024 meeting)
MINUTES FINAL
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
JUNE 13, 2024—6:30 PM
FORMAL MEETING
THE CENTER ASSEMBLY ROOM
MEMBERS PRESENT: Kaleb Beining, Horacio Borgen, Maryann Dennis, Karol Krotz, James
Pierce, Kiran Patel
MEMBERS ABSENT: Becci Reedus, Denise Szecsei, Kyle Vogel
STAFF PRESENT: Erika Kubly, Naomi Mehta, Brianna Thul
OTHERS PRESENT: Ellen McCabe (HTFJC), Scott Hawes (Habitat), Megan Schmidt, Kathryn
Davis (DVIP), Christine Hayes (Shelter House)
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL:
Dennis moved to recommend approval of the FY25 Annual Action Plan. Patel seconded. A vote was
taken and the motion passed 6-0.
CALL MEETING TO ORDER:
Beining called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM.
CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: MAY 16, 2024:
Krotz moved to approve the minutes of May 16, 2024. Dennis seconded the motion. A vote was taken
and the minutes were approved 6-0.
PUBLIC COMMENT FOR TOPICS NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None.
CONSIDER CHANGING THE REGULAR MEETING DATE AND LOCATION OF THE HOUSING AND
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION:
Based on Commission feedback, staff proposed shifting the regular meetings of the Commission to
Emma Harvat Hall on the third Monday of each month at 6:30pm.
Patel moved to shift the regular meetings to the third Monday of each month at 6:30pm. Krotz seconded.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 6-0.
REVIEW AND CONSIDER RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL ON APPROVAL OF FY25
(FFY24)ANNUAL ACTION PLAN:
Thul noted this is a plan that staff brings to the Commission every year for review. The City determines
community priorities through public input through the consolidated planning process which they are
getting ready to do again. The Annual Action Plan includes specific projects for the next fiscal year that
are designed to address the priorities identified in the five-year consolidated plan. Both plans are HUD
required documents the City must complete in order to receive federal CDBG and HOME funding. The
Housing and Community Development Commission
June 13,2024
Page 2 of 6
Annual Action Plan for FY25 includes the activities that HCDC recommended at the March meeting. Thul
noted this process is a little bit delayed due to the federal budget this year and staff is bringing it to the
Commission later than normal. Thul explained the plan is in a HUD required format and that the most
concise way to view the projects and funding recommendations is Appendix B which is a summary of how
the City will use the funding based on what HCDC recommended.
Thul also wanted to point out the HOME allocation was reduced for FY25. When staff bring HCDC the
funding recommendations they are operating on an estimated budget to complete the process in time.
HUD grant allocations are posted later in the cycle. HOME funding across the board was cut about 20%
at the federal level. Staff was not anticipating the adjustment but the City does have enough program
income to still fund the projects HCDC recommended. Some of the sources of the funding in the
Appendix B might be different based on final allocations from HUD and program income, but the budget
amounts recommended are the same.
The projects that were recommended by the Commission will support public facility improvements and
affordable rental housing. HOME funds require a 15% grant set aside for community housing
development organizations. They have to be certified and meet specific requirements in order to access
that portion of HOME funding. Thul noted some communities struggle with that but Iowa City is lucky to
have two organizations that meet the CHDO requirements. The Housing Fellowship through this last
round of funding will be able to access the set aside. HUD also allows a portion of the CDBG funding for
public services and that portion of funding supports the City's Aid to Agencies program.
Thul pointed out the cover photos on the plan are from the Iowa City South District Program which is a
program where the City purchases duplex properties, rehab the unis, and then they're sold as affordable
homeownership to income eligible buyers. Both units pictured have been sold and are currently occupied.
Kubly stated the plan has been posted for a public comment since May 17 and no comments have been
received to date. Today, HCDC will consider a recommendation to City Council to approve the plan and
staff will present the HCDC recommendations at the Council meeting next Tuesday. They will also
present staff recommendations since the HCDC and staff recommendations were slightly different. If you
remember from March, staff had concerns about the Shelter House project. Council will decide on the
final approval and then staff will submit the plan to HUD and wait for approval to move forward with those
projects.
Krotz asked about the concerns mentioned for the Shelter House project. Kubly replied that Shelter
House has applied for facility rehab for Cross Park Place. Staff had some concerns due to the number of
projects Shelter House had ongoing and the capacity to take on another project. There are several facility
improvements underway. One of those was an HVAC project that's just now closing out but was
underway at the time of the staff recommendation.Additionally, some of the some of the work that's being
done, such as carpet repair, would be considered maintenance under CDBG and is not eligible.
Therefore, staff is recommending that Shelter House reapply next year and work with staff to find eligible
costs. If City Council agrees and the funds aren't going to Shelter House, staff would recommend they go
to The Housing Fellowship and fulfill their full request as they were the next highest scoring applicant
based on HCDC scores.
Dennis asked if they could apply for HOME funds. Thul noted Shelter House can apply for HOME but
they need to meet the City's underwriting requirements. Any rental housing project is required to submit a
pro forma that meets the standards.
Krotz noted Appendix C states that the amounts with 30% median income from this year and last year
went down this year which was interesting. For instance, for a one bedroom, the rent went down from
$922 to $902 so that was a pleasant surprise. A question on page 49 when it's talking about the actions to
reduce the number of poverty level families, it states the City has began exploring partnerships with
Kirkwood Community College and Iowa Workforce Development-is Kirkwood still in Iowa City?The
building looks vacant. Kubly replied they might not physically be in Iowa City, but the City does continue
to work with them, especially through ARPA projects. Krotz thanked staff and noted the plan looks nice.
2
Housing and Community Development Commission
June 13,2024
Page 3 of 6
Dennis moved to approve the FY25 Annual Action Plan. Patel seconded. A vote was taken and the
motion passed 6-0.
STAFF &COMMISSION UPDATES:
Thul noted June is the end of HCDC terms for people serving a three-year term which includes Beining
and Reedus. Staff wished to thank them both for their service, and noted Beining has served two full
terms as chair. Beining noted he enjoyed his time with the Commission and gained a lot of valuable
insight from all the community members as well as each Commissioner.
Thul stated based on the decision tonight, the next HCDC meeting will be July 15 at the Emma Harvat
Hall at City Hall. She will send out a reminder and also prepare a calendar of dates for the upcoming
fiscal year. At the July meeting they can discuss if there's other presentations, updates from agencies, or
other things the Commission is interested in and staff can work on plugging those into the calendar.
Kubly noted staff has been working with a consultant to update the five-year Consolidated Plan and will
be holding some stakeholder sessions sometime in July and August as well as public input meetings to
gathering input to determine the priorities for the next five years of funding.
Thul mentioned that Commissioner Borgen asked about alternative ways to track attendance. Asked if
people like the attendance survey or if there's an easier way to get responses for people on meeting
attendance. Would it be helpful for staff to send calendar invites as well. The Commission agreed the
survey works well and adding calendar invites wouldn't hurt.
Dennis thanked Beining and Reedus for their time on the commission. She continued that Beining is the
best chair she has seen and also highlighted that Reedus did not miss a single meeting in her entire term.
Dennis stated she attended a panel last night at the Coralville Public Library of local experts to talk about
the affordable housing issues and how their organizations are working to address the issues. The event
was hosted by the Community Foundation and sponsored and facilitated by the Affordable Housing
Coalition. There was an overview of the issue in the country, Johnson County, and Iowa City by Ellen
McCabe with the Housing Trust Fund. She pointed out Iowa City as the most expensive place to live in
Iowa to rent. Other panelists included representatives from The Housing Fellowship, Shelter House, Iowa
Catholic Worker House, Open Heartland, Iowa City Community School District, Iowa Habitat for
Humanity.The panel provided excellent information, not only about the issues, but also about strategies
they implement to address the local crisis. Dennis shared the outreach data for Iowa which shows the
affordable way of earning wages in Iowa City to afford apartments and some other information that's
really fascinating. There are thousands of households in Johnson County who are cost burdened and to
afford to live in Iowa City one would have to work two and a half full time jobs at minimum wage to afford
a two-bedroom apartment.
DISCUSS LANDLORD INCENTIVES:
(Moved to end of meeting incase Commissioner Szecsei could be present).
Krotz asked if there is anything else that the City does to assist landlords in helping the people who really
are needing housing. Kubly replied the risk mitigation program is not open broadly to everyone,just
specific populations so they may look at expanding it as a pilot project.At this point, the City does have
security deposit assistance, that doesn't help landlords directly, but does help get people into units.There
is also a Climate Action Pilot Program that gives $25,000 as a forgivable grant for energy efficiency
improvements in exchange to the landlord accepting a voucher for five years. That program is for units in
Iowa City that are duplex or single family. The City is trying to figure out ways to incentivize more
landlords to accept vouchers.
Krotz asked what ideas the staff has on ways to increase efforts. Kubly stated they have been doing
some research and some of the things that came up are landlord bonuses, one-time payments, a signing
3
Housing and Community Development Commission
June 13,2024
Page 4 of 6
bonus type thing. The City had a rehab program for rentals but that wasn't highly utilized — possibly the
issue was related to the funding source that made it really complicated.They could try some sort of rental
rehab program with a different source of funding that perhaps landlords might take advantage of.
Krotz asked if that translate into landlords accepting more people with vouchers. Kubly explained it
depends on what parameters are put on the program. Some other ideas online were more procedural
like offering mediation services to support landlord tenant relations, or tenant and tenant disagreements,
fast tracking inspections, and maybe waiving the permit fees. Overall,just more relationship building and
working more closely with the landlords and learning what their issues are.
Borgen noted when he was working for the Center for Worker Justice, he helped with a couple of cases
where tenants were claiming that the landlords are charging them two or three months after they left the
property. Egregious amounts of money for repairing the unit beyond taking the deposit from them. Claims
were also passed to an agency collector and sometimes even the landlord didn't have any proof that the
unit was broken they just charged the tenant knowing they didn't understand their rights. Then it hampers
those people from finding another place to live if there's a landlord who's claiming they owe money to
them.
Dennis stated there's a big body of landlord tenant law in the state of Iowa.The landlord legally cannot
not return a security deposit without following the law. Even if they don't have the forwarding address,
they have to at least send it to the place where the people live with an itemized bill of what they're using
the security deposit for and if there's more damage, or if they haven't paid rent, landlords can add those
costs on and the tenant then would have the opportunity to go to civil court to say it isn't true.
Krotz noted there was a big case a few years ago where a landlord was charging tenants for carpet
cleanings, and it went through the court system and was deemed as the landlord's responsibility not the
tenant's responsibility. But she is concerned if people have legal representation to help them through this,
Dennis stated they can call Iowa Legal Aid.
Dennis thinks it's a great thing to try and get for-profit landlords to accept vouchers but there's a lot of
things around that. One is the stigma of having a voucher and secondly, the landlord has to do a few
more things than if they don't accept the voucher like the pre-rental inspections, but they are guaranteed
rent every single month.
Krotz noted there was a pamphlet out one time that the City put out that prospective renters could hand to
landlords outline the benefits of having somebody with a voucher, that might be something to resurrect.
Dennis is not saying she doesn't think private landlords should not provide affordable housing, but what it
costs to actually operate rental housing is a lot. Last night, one of the panelists was saying insurance has
gone up for landlords, protection insurance, then there's property taxes, maintenance, reserves, and all
kinds of stuff that they have to do. They may have to take care of common areas if it's a big apartment
complex, elevator, etc. In her experience, the way to reduce rent is to lower the amount of hard debt. This
Commission can help with that if they want to come in and apply for the federal funds. HCDC would
recommend to Council for funding. Vogel has stated for as long as she can remember that HCDC only
recommends funding to 501(c)3 nonprofits- if they don't come in and apply for HOME or CDBG funds,
they can't help them. It's like hoping to win the lottery, but never buying a ticket. Vogel would be a good
one to do a presentation about his operations because he runs a lot of rental housing and he does have
properties that accepts vouchers. Also maybe the City could get on the agenda of the Landlord
Association to let them know there's federal funding that the City receives for housing that they could
apply for. Businesses would have to understand that if they receive federal funds, there's a whole lot of
regulations that that come with those and a lot of private landlords don't have the expertise to comply.
They also don't have the incentive because what they really want to do is make money. It's a complicated
issue.
Krotz asked if they could put this on the agenda again and continue the conversation when Vogel and
Szecsei are present.
4
Housing and Community Development Commission
June 13,2024
Page 5 of 6
Dennis stated just as it behooves the Commission to educate themselves about the process. It really
would help private landlords if they could educate themselves about how to comply with these
regulations.
Ellen McCabe(HTFJC) noted Tracy Hightshoe from the City did attend the Landlord Association meeting
and gave a presentation within the last year but it's hard to convince landlords without an incentive.
Kubly stated there is a page on the City website with incentives for affordable rentals, it's more geared
towards developers of housing and that stage, rather than an existing landlord that's looking for
incentives.The City also has staff that regularly attends the association meetings, mainly Housing
Authority and Housing Inspection staff.Thul added that it hasn't happened during her time, but the City
has worked with for-profits in the past on federal projects and also noted that when funding opportunities
are announced, a press release is sent out and also forwarded to previous subrecipients which does
include some for-profits.
Krotz asked if there is a way to include private landlord information to that section that's already on the
webpage about incentives for developers. Kubly replied as they develop incentives to offer, they would
add them to the website.
Kubly also stated one other thing that they've discussed at the staff level is working with the Affordable
Housing Coalition to send out a survey to the private landlords and get some input from that group about
what kind of incentives would benefit them, specific to the acceptance of the Housing Choice Vouchers.
Patel moved to defer this agenda item number of the discussion of landlord incentives to the July 15,
2024, meeting. Pierce seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion passed 6-0.
ADJOURNMENT:
Dennis moved to adjourn, Krotz seconded the motion and a vote was taken and the motion passed 6-0.
5
Housing and Community Development Commission
June 13,2024
Page 6 of 6
Housing and Community
Development Commission
Attendance Record 2023-2024
Name Terms Exp. 4/20 5/18 7/20 9/21 10/19 11/16 3/21 4/18 5/16 6/13
Beining, Kaleb 6/30/24 X O/E X X X X X X X X
Dennis, Maryann 6/30/25 O/E X X O/E X X X X X X
Krotz, Karol 6/30/24 X X X X X X O/E O/E X X
Reedus, Becci 6/30/24 X X X X X X X X X O/E
Vogel, Kyle 6/30/26 O/E X X X O/E X X X O/E O/E
Patel, Kiran 6/30/26 X X X X O/E X O/E O/E X X
Pierce, James 6/30/26 -- __ X X X X O/E X X X
Szecsei, Denise 6/30/25 -- -- --
-- -- X X X X O/E
Borgen, Horacio 6/30/25 — __ -- -- -- O/E O/E X X
• Resigned from Commission
Key:
X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
--- � Vacant
6
Item Number: 4.h.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
September 3, 2024
Human Rights Commission: July 23
Attachments: Human Rights Commission: July 23
Approved Minutes
Human Rights Commission
July 23,2024
Emma Harvat Hall
Commissioners present: Roger Lusala,Jahnavi Pandya, Idriss Abdullahi, Mark Pries,Vianna Qaduora,
Elizabeth Mendez Shannon, Kelsey Paul Shantz.
Commissioners present via Zoom:Doug Kollasch.
Staff present:Stefanie Bowers.
Recommendation to City Council: No.
Meeting called to order: 5:31 PM.
Native American Land Acknowledgement:Abdullahi read the Land Acknowledgement.
Public comment of items not on the agenda: Corey Stoglin greeted the commission and shared that he
served on the commission in 2007.
Approval of meeting minutes of May 28,2024:Pries moved;and Mendez Shannon seconded. Motion
passed 8-0.
Correspondence:There is a program being held on Monday,July 30 on Water Rights at the Environmental
Education Center from 6-7 pm.The office is also sponsoring a fair housing and disability training on
Thursday,July 25 over the noon hour.
Updates on Outreach and Engagement by the Police Department: National Night Out is scheduled for
August 6 at Christ the King Church and Wetherby Park.The Ready Set School will be held on August 9 and
will offer school supplies,dental and eye screenings,vaccinations,and haircuts.
Support for a Community Transportation Commission:This item will be discussed at the August meeting
date.
Palestinian Children's Relief Fund:Qaduora spoke about a local event that will collaborate with different
organizations and local businesses, artists,and activists that will be donating ticket revenue to Palestine
Children Relief Fund. Qaduora proposed having a commissioner speak at the event or for the commission
to have a table at the event.The commissioners discussed the possibility of tabling and what they would
need for the event.The discussion was broken up into three topics: having a commissioner speak at the
event, representing the commission as a whole at the event(with name, logo, etc.), and tabling at the
event. Lusala and Pries expressed their support for having the commission represented at the event.
Qaduora shared her reasons for supporting the commission's presence at the event stating it is a matter of
universal human rights. Paul Shantz expressed support and stated that the charity mentioned is reliable
with their funding going where it is intended.Abdullahi expressed support for the event stating it is a
matter of human rights beyond politics. Mendez Shannon shared her support and that there was a call
from community members for the commission to show more support on the topic of Palestine.The
1
commission came to an agreement that they would like to be involved in the events. Paul Shantz asked if
any commissioners would be available to attend the event in order to represent the commission.Abdullahi
and Pries agreed to attend the event and Paul Shantz shared she may be able to join for one of the two
days the event will be occurring. Kollasch spoke in support of the commission being present at the event.
The commission took a vote and unanimously agreed to be represented at the event.
Reschedule September Meeting Date:The September meeting date conflicts with an office sponsored
event.The commission moved its meeting date to the following Wednesday, September 25.
Schedule a Retreat Date to Revisit the Strategic Plan from 2022:Staff will reach out to the facilitator who
assisted on the commission's last strategic plan to see if they are available and if so,what days in times
work for them the first weeks of November.
Human Rights Awards:The breakfast is scheduled for October 23 at 7:30 am in the Vue Rooftop.
Commission Committees'Update:
Building Bridges(Paul Shantz, Kollasch, Pandya): Paul Shantz spoke about the committee's communication
with the transportation commission effort. Pandya clarified there is a potential future meeting with one of
the transportation committee members. Kollasch stated the committee will regroup once they can meet
together in person again after personal travel obligations are met.
Paul Shantz spoke about her experience tabling at Pride and the change of engagement from morning to
afternoon stating there was less traffic later in the day.
Reciprocal Relationships(Lusala,Pries,Abdullahi): Pries updated the commission on their outreach efforts
to applicants who did not receive the Racial Equity Social Justice Grant. Outreach happened over the
phone with Pries and Lusala calling individuals and asking for feedback.The feedback received was
generally positive including gratitude for the call,updates on other funding received in place of the grant,
and a request for help filling out the form in the future. Pries suggested possibly assigning a former or
current commissioner to the task of helping with grant applications.
Lusala shared that the preexisting relationships with the individuals they reached out to helped ease any
tension over the discussion. Lusala also shared his suggestion to organizations to reach out to University
programs that could help with grant writing/application for future grant applicants.Qaduora asked if the
majority of people asking for help were facing a language barrier when applying. Lusala stated that a
language barrier was not the problem for the majority. Paul Shantz asked about groups requesting general
funding rather than project-based funding and if there was feedback from those organizations asking for
general funding. Lusala shared his discussion with one applicant who requested funding for a business
start-up rather than a specific project. Lusala provided clarification to the applicant of what is expected in
the application and encouraged them to apply next year.
2
Pries also shared some advice he gave during his outreach like providing clarification on the importance of
particularity when applying and to avoid the sole use of Al when filling out the application.Abdullahi
shared he was unable to participate in the last meeting but values the feedback.
Pries and Lusala shared their positive experience tabling for Juneteenth. Lusala suggested providing an
informational handout the helps community members understand the commission and their work.
Breaking Bread Mende_z Shannon Qaduora): Mendez Shannon spoke about the Meet and Greet event she
and Qaduora hosted.She stated there were attendees who filled out information cards as well as
participated in group discussions.Some takeaways from the meeting were community members
awareness of the commission,the need for more EBT support(including summer funding), a need to
support education in the community and trans rights,and more commission involvement in the
community overall,so people have access to the commissioners and get to know them.Qaduora
mentioned future Meet and Greets,or similar events should be held in more open, busy spaces where
there is more visibility to encourage community engagement. Mendez Shannon stated there was a news
station that interviewed them about the event like why they were there and for information about the
commission.
Mendez Shannon spoke about her experience tabling for Pride stating there was a lot of community
engagement and curiosity about the commission and the work they do.
Announcements of Commissioners:
Pries shared his involvement in a variety of local organizations and committees including the Common
Future Committee for the Rotary, Iowa Interfaith Alliance: Faithful Voices for Racial Justice,and Interfaith
Alliance: Exposing Christian Nationalism-which is having showings of the movie God in Country on Aug. 25
and Sept.8. Pries also shared his experience at a Juneteenth prayer services at St.Thomas More Catholic
Church and their denial to share the movie God in Country, his involvement in preaching to expose
Christian Nationalism at Gloria Day on July 71h and 141h and attended the Iowa City Foreign Relations
Council. He also shared the shows he had seen including Come From Away, Ugly Lies the Bones,and The
Outsider.
Abdullahi shared his experience attending a University Cohort where he learned about belief systems
leading to emotional reaction and what is happening in between.The talk touched on how to manage
these emotions and control the thought process that leads to a physical reaction.Abdullahi also shared his
experience visiting the Davenport Recycling Center and learning about the work that goes into the proper
disposal of recycled materials.
Mendez-Shannon spoke about her experience working with the City High non-profit,The Golden Beakers,
that supports students in STEM who need funds to buy supplies.She also attended a fundraising event for
the non-profit that was able to raise funds through collected donations during a public singing
performance.
Qaduora Shared the work of a local organization called Hope providing aid to those in Gaza including
fundraising,telehealth efforts, and providing formula and other baby supplies to those in Gaza.Qaduora
3
also spoke on the organization Iowans for Palestine. Qaduora attended a Public Space One event that
displayed young artists'work from different backgrounds and experiences. Qaduora was able to take the
Mariam Girl's Club to see the exhibit.
Lusala shared his takeaway from Juneteenth and the need for the commission to be more involved in the
community.
Pandya shared her experience attending a conference in London that spoke about working with children
who are displaced or experiencing war/trauma. Pandya also had the opportunity to sit in at an LGBTQ
clinic where she learned more about the community. Pandya also did a training for suicide prevention and
encouraged others to do the same. Pandya also attended a problem management conference that is a
culturally sensitive mental health intervention that pays people to do the training and then train others in
their community. Pandya also attended Iowa Summer Writing Festival that included people across the US.
Kollasch shared his experience at Pride where he tabled Hawkeye Pride,the LGBT Alumni group,that he is
the president of he reported this was the biggest turnout he has seen for Iowa City Pride. Kollasch also
shared the San Francisco Gay Men's Choir recent performance in Iowa City and their work providing
awareness for how AIDS impacts the LGBTQ community.
Paul Shantz shared her work exploring the intersection of mass violence and urban violence and the
takeaways that are transformative to her work.She also shared her experience attending meetings in DC
that touched on the topic of the global need for peace and how that plays into the role of community
leaders. Paul Shantz also talked about her work on disinformation and the conference she attended that
touched on the topic of identity-based disinformation through online spaces. Paul Shantz also shared the
collaborative event between the Stanley and Filmscene that touches on the topic of tourism and how its
impact on the climate,wildlife, and vulnerable communities.
Announcements of staff:Staff provided copies of the One Community One Reads selection for 2024,
Wastelands: The True Story of Farm Country.The author will be speaking in Iowa City on October 20,from
3-4:15 pm at the Boyd Law School.The book Human Justice was also introduced to commissioners.
Adjourned:7:05 pm.
The meeting can be viewed at htt s: tit channel4.com video.htmi?series=Locai%2OGovernment.
4
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Item Number: 4.i.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
September 3, 2024
Library Board of Trustees: July 25
Attachments: Library Board of Trustees: July 25
IOWA CITY
PUBLIC LIBRARY
Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees
Meeting Minutes
July 25, 2024
2nd Floor— Boardroom
Regular Meeting - 5:00 PM
FINAL
Tom Rocklin - President Bonnie Boothroy Robin Paetzold
DJ Johnk—Vice President Joseph Massa John Raeburn
Hannah Shultz-Secretary Claire Matthews Dan Stevenson
Members Present: DJ Johnk, Joseph Massa, Claire Matthews, John Raeburn, Tom Rocklin, Hannah
Shultz, Dan Stevenson.
Members Absent: Bonnie Boothroy, Robin Paetzold.
Staff Present: Elsworth Carman, Sam Helmick, Anne Mangano, Jason Paulios, Angie Pilkington, Jen
Royer.
Guests Present: None.
Call Meeting to Order. Rocklin called the meeting to order at 5:01 pm. A quorum was present.
Approval of July 25, 2024 Board Meeting Agenda. Massa made a motion to approve
the July 25, 2024 Board Meeting Agenda. Matthews seconded. Motion passed 7/0.
Public Discussion. None.
Items to be Discussed.
Strategic Planning Update. Rocklin shared the Library Board approved the Strategic Plan and now
Trustees have the responsibility to monitor progress. Rocklin liked Carman's graphics on the strategic
plan. Rocklin asked what CMO stood for, and Carman replied it is the City Manager's office. Matthews
asked if the Iowa City Public Library (ICPL) ever had issues with voting at the library. Carman said no, and
noted the only wrinkle has been because of accessible parking.
Helmick entered at 5:03 pm.
Carman said he checks in with staff the day voting occurs and isn't aware of issues. Paulios said ICPL will
be a satellite voting location and the date is yet to be determined. Paulios said the Children's Halloween
parade gets priority of the meeting room space. Pilkington said the Halloween parade is in the planning
stages and will be on a no school day.
If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting,please contact Jen Royer,Iowa City
Public Library,at 379-887-6003 or jeniter-romr@icpLorg, Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
*W PUBLIC LIBRARY
Rocklin asked if there were any more efforts to collect materials in the languages from the International
Writers Workshop. Mangano said a collection plan is in the works to determine which languages are
needed and a meeting will happen after that. Rocklin said he personally adores the project. Mangano
said there are good overlaps between ICPL and the workshop. ICPL can promote the author's books
while they are in Iowa City; there are great possibilities.
Massa noted page 8 which states, "Increase channels for library patron feedback in the library. New
opportunities for Book End customer feedback was created via surveys at POS". Massa asked if users fill
out a survey at home or in person. Roche said this comes from the digital receipt and there is an
opportunity to complete a survey digitally. Massa asked if Trustees could see the results of those
surveys. Roche said she has a report that could be shared with Trustees. Rocklin suggested adding it to
the next packet. Carman said staff are trying to find those point of contact opportunities to get patron
feedback. Carman said a similar thing was done with QR codes by Marketing that could be added to
digital communications.
Rocklin noted the Intranet going away and asked what the timeline for moving to Teams is. Mangano
said a year. Raeburn asked if gamify means to turn into a game. Rocklin and Carman agreed it did.
Matthews asked if Carman expected staff to have presentations at the Iowa Library Association
conference in Des Moines. Carman said there are at least two presentations and ICPL typically has
presentations every year.
Library Board of Trustees Annual Report. Carman said the annual report is submitted to the City
during the budget process and is kept on the library's website. Carman said the Leadership Team put a
draft together to present to the Board for feedback. Rocklin said one function of the report is to serve as
a summary of the year's Board minutes. Raeburn suggested changing the second line from "act as" to
"be", suggested including a brief identifier of the senate and house files noted in the report, and listing
the ARPA acronym. Shultz noted some of this work seemed like it had been done a long time ago.
Rocklin noted the goal of reviewing and approving a plan for improving building space and asked if
Carman is confident we will get there in the coming year. Carman agreed and shared there is a large
upcoming CIP project slated for FY26. Carman said he budgeted for consultant money in the NOBU
request in FY25 to pay for that. Carman noted the actual work on the building will not begin until FY26.
Carman said crafting a plan this fiscal year is a priority and will be used for proposals. Rocklin requested
listing the dates of service in the report for Bonnie Boothroy and Lucy Santos Green so it is clear there
were only nine Trustees at one time.
Staff Reports
Director's Report. Carman shared Helmick was appointed as ALA President Elect effective immediately.
Carman shared there was damage to rental space door after an incident in the PeclMall. Carman said it
was cleaned and patched immediately and the custom glass that was damaged is on order to be
replaced. Carman hoped for a quick two-week turnaround. Carman noted an open house is scheduled in
the rental space and repairs may not be ready by the first week of August for the event.
Carman said the CIP (Capital Improvement Project) in the Boardroom and Meeting Room E is mostly
complete. Carman shared the paint color in the Boardroom will be revisited with the consultant work in
If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting,please contact Jen Royer,Iowa City
Public Library,at 379-887-6003 orienntfer-rpyer@kpLorg, Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
OW PUBLIC LIBRARY
the coming year. It was repainted red and he will lean on that consultant's building study to make the
color change. Carman noted the art hanging on the Boardroom wall was donated by former Library
Trustee, Janet Freeman.
Rocklin asked who was notified and by whom when the glass was broken on the door. Carman said the
police notified Brad Gehrke, Library Building Manager, who came in immediately after the area was
cleared by police. Gehrke patched the door and called the vendor who arrived by 5 am. Johnk shared an
interest in touring Facilities Services. Carman said the Facilities crew at the library is strong, and it's great
to see them in their element and see how the back end of the library works.
Carman shared the library is experiencing water intrusion issues from the alley. A wall collapsed on the
building across the alley from the library a couple years ago, and at that time the wall and downspouts
were rebuilt. Carman will be in meetings next week about the downspout. The Facilities crew put in stop
gap measures, but an investment will need to be made for long term repair.
Departmental Reports: Adult Services. Paulios said the browsing party got great reviews and good
recommendations were made for the future. Shultz asked who is in the library house band. Paulios
shared Alyssa, Amanda, Brent, Claire, Hannah, Paul, and a guest drummer. Paulios said the band set the
atmosphere for the browsing party.
Community &Access Services. Rocklin congratulated Helmick. Johnk liked the book bike portion of
Helmick's report, including the patron comments. Matthews clarified that children could not ride in the
book bike and Helmick agreed. Matthews suggested the children's room could have an election with
characters from books_
President's Report. Rocklin reported Raeburn brought to his attention that there are Trustee
committees without leadership. Rocklin asked if the finance committee could volunteer someone to
ensure meetings happen when they need to. Matthews nominated Paetzold for the Advocacy
Committee. Matthews asked if the Graphic Designer position was a new position in addition to the other
Graphic Designer or if someone left. Helmick said this position is replacing a staff person who left.
Announcements from Members. None.
Committee Reports.
Advocacy Committee. None.
Finance Committee. None.
Foundation Members. Rocklin shared the FY25 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the
Friends Foundation Board of Directors and the Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees is included in
the packet. Roche said this requires board approval. Rocklin said the MOU agreement formalizes the
transferring of funds to the NOBU budget.
Communications.
News Articles. Massa noted the news articles that outline crime happening in or around the library and
asked if the library is safe. Carman said he is confident the library is as safe as possible as any public
space is in the corridor area. Carman said there is often Leadership Team discussion about whether or
If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting,please contoctJen Royer,Iowa City
Public Library,at 3 79-887-6003 or iennifer-royerOkpf.or .. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
IOWA CITY
PUBLIC LIBRARY
not a specific news article belongs in the packet. Carman shared we err on the side of including more.
Carman said a lot of the issues around the library impact us because we want to communicate what's
happening with the community, and we want to keep staff and patrons as safe as possible. Carman said
we are in a state that has made decisions around the availability of weapons and that has an impact on
how people behave. Carman thinks ICPL does take appropriate measures to stay safe. Carman said
anytime an issue like the shooting in the PeclMall happens the Leadership Team intentionally takes steps
to check in with staff and plan for community inquiries. Carman said there is always a lot of emotion
when things like this happen, and we care very dearly about keeping people safe. Carman said public
service has changed and will continue to change. Matthews asked if staff do ALICE training. Carman said
it was done a year ago and we are working to schedule it again this year. Carman said we also have
continual conversations about how we work with the police department and use the tools that we have.
Carman said there is a need for more social service support in our community. Raeburn asked what is
happening with reprehending the people who beat up the sleeping patron. Carman said he believes it is
still an active investigation. Carman said cameras outside the library documented the event and staff
have worked with police to help the investigation.
Consent Agenda. Matthews made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Johnk seconded.
Motion passed 7/0.
Set Agenda Order for August Meeting. Rocklin said the August meeting includes the 4th
quarter financials and statistics, Library Use policy, Alcohol policy, and departmental reports. Matthews
and Stevenson noted the next Board meeting is the day before school starts.
Massa noted the disbursements and asked if June was a higher month. Carman said it is a higher month
with Summer Reading Programming and there are many project deadlines as it is the end of fiscal year.
Adjournment. Rocklin adjourned the meeting at 5:35 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeri Royer
If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting,please con tact Jen Royer,Iowa City
Public Library, of 379-887-6003 orignn(fer-rayerOoLorg- Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
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Item Number: 4.j.
r 1 CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
September 3, 2024
Parks & Recreation Commission: July 10 [See Recommendation]
Attachments: Parks & Recreation Commission: July 10 [See Recommendation]
r
��_. .® CITY OF IOWA CITY
MEMORANDUM
Date: 08/14/2024
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Staff Member of Parks and Recreation Commission
Re: Recommendation from Parks and Recreation Commission
At their July 10, 2024, meeting the Parks and Recreation Commission made the following
recommendations to the City Council:
• To approve the Brookland Park Playground, Calder Park Trail Connections, College
Green Playground, and New Park near Shannon Drive park projects as presented.
Additional action (check one)
No further action needed.
Board or Commission is requesting Council direction.
X Agenda item will be prepared by staff for Council action.
IOWA CITY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED
MINUTES OF JULY 10,2024
MEETING ROOM B—ROBERT A. LEE RECREATION CENTER
Members Present: Connie Moore, Aaron Broege,Missie Forbes,Virginia Hayes, Rachel
McPherson, Brian Morelli, Caleb Recker
Members Absent: Alex Hachtman, Alex Stanton,
Staff Present: Juli Seydell Johnson, Gabe Gotera
Others Present: Mitzi Read
CALL TO ORDER: Vice Chairman Moore called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council
action):
Moved by Broege, seconded by Forbes,to recommend the approval of the park proiects
(Brookland Park Playground, Calder Park Trail Connections, College Green Playground,
and New Park near Shannon Drive) as presented. Motion passed 7-0 (Hachtman and
Stanton absent).
OTHER FORMAL ACTION:
Moved by Recker, seconded by Broege,to approve the April 10,2024, minutes. Motion
passed 6-0 (Hachtman,McPherson, and Stanton absent).
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None
PARK PROJECTS REVIEW—Bolton &Menk; Consultant Rvan Anderson
Dir. Seydell Johnson introduces Ryan Anderson of Bolton &Menk,who is a consultant on the
next round of park projects. Seydell Johnson explains that Anderson will give a presentation on
each park project, after which the Commission will be asked to make a motion to recommend the
approval of the projects or not.
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
July 10, 2024
Page 2 of 9
New Park Near Shannon Drive
Consultant Anderson with Bolton& Menk presents the attached PowerPoint presentation.
Commissioner McPherson arrives at 5:04 p.m.
Commissioner McPherson asks what time and day that the public input open house was held.
Dir. Seydell Johnson says that the open houses were held from 5:30—8:30 p.m. on Wednesday,
July 8, with each park project having its own dedicated hour-long open house. Seydell Johnson
adds that there was an online survey of prompts from the open house available for 10 days after
this, allowing people who were unable to attend continue to participate.
Commissioner Forbes asks to hear more regarding the fire pit and what kind of feedback was
received. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that people were concerned about the safety of the fire pit
and the location's proximity to houses. Seydell Johnson says that currently there is a fire pit at
both Cardigan Park and Calder Park, and that both are popular and get lots of use,but that the
issue lies in getting neighbors to be comfortable with the idea at first. Forbes asks how the fire
pits are managed as the mentioned parks. Seydell Johnson says that they are self-serve and that
there have been no issues in the 7 years since they have been installed. Commissioner Morelli
asks how much use the fire pits receive. Seydell Johnson says that there is use every weekend
with the occasional use during the week, commonly from local Scout Troops. Commissioner
Recker states that he lives close to Cardigan Park and confirms that the fire pit is used often for
family gatherings or child related events for fun activities like making s'mores. Forbes asks if
when negative feedback is received, is it brought up that there are two other parks in town that
already have fire pits. Seydell Johnson confirms that staff and consultants do speak on that, but
that the fire pit remains a notoriously hard sell.
Commissioner Hayes asks if there were any requests for amenities for older kids, given the
proximity to West High School. Consultant Anderson responds that responses showed a want for
a wide range of play experiences for different demographics. Anderson explains that the
demographic recommended is 5-12,which is the widest demographic available, serving kids a
bit younger than that as well. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that there was more public input received
asking to keep high school kids away from the park. Seydell Johnson explains that this input is
not reflected in the objective of the project,but that it was probably the biggest neighborhood
concern. Anderson asks the Commissioner to consider if the park color scheme should match
with the nearby West High School but highlights the importance for the park to be kept at a
neighborhood level and not an addition to the school system.
Commissioner Morelli ask about the reasoning for having a singular swing versus a more
traditional swing set. Consultant Anderson explains that the fall height radius of playground
equipment is a boundary defined by how high the equipment is and how far somebody would fall
if the jumped. Anderson explains further that traditional swing sets have a notoriously large fall
height radius that doesn't fit in with the small footprint of the recommended playground.
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
July 10,2024
Page 3 of 9
Commissioner Recker asks if the playground with be covered with mulch. Consultant Anderson
confirms that it will be mulch. Recker asks if this will be the same for all the parks. Dir. Seydell
Johnson says that there are some parks that have pour-in-place, such as Willow Creek Park,the
Ped Mall, City Park, and part of Wetherby Park. This means that there is one park with pour-in-
place surfacing in each area of Iowa City,while all other parks have engineered wood fiber.
Recker asks if this is the preference for parks moving forward. Seydell Johnson responds that it
is used because it fits within the budgets, and it is what Parks staff are used to maintaining.
Commissioner Recker, notes the public feedback requesting a climbing structure, and asks if the
structure in the rendering is what staff is planning to move forward with. Dir. Seydell Johnson
confirms that both the climbing structure and the climbing wall are the recommended design,
explaining that this is the most that would be allowed within the budget.
Commissioner Broege,notes the public feedback suggesting that park users value their privacy,
asking if there was considered when designing the park. Dir. Seydell Johnson clarifies that that
feedback had more to do with the neighbors to the north and their privacy from park users.
Seydell Johnson says that to help address these concerns, staff have planted 28 trees that were
left over from a separate project, allowing the privacy block to be added at no additional cost.
Seydell Johnson adds that these neighbors already have a chain link in place. Broege asks for
confirmation that the privacy concerns are for residents around the park and not for the park
users themselves. Seydell Johnson confirms this.
Commissioner Moore says that she likes to ask,what can a child a wheelchair do in the park and
is glad to see a swing structure where if a child is unable to sit upright on their own,they can lay
out on it. Dir. Seydell Johnson says staff typically see kids laying down in that swing structure.
Seydell Johnson points out the curved black portion of the climbing structure,noting that staff
are looking at to see how it adapts to park users that need a wheelchair or have limited mobility.
Seydell Johnson says that this is the first-time staff have installed that item but that it was part of
the choice for including it in the recommend design. Consultant Anderson says that as seen in the
recommended options, playground manufactures are becoming more aware of the need for
accessibility in modern playgrounds,whether it's an actual wheelchair compliant ramp, or
something that is accessible and playable and within reach.
Brookland Park Playground
Consultant Anderson with Bolton & Menk presents the attached PowerPoint presentation.
Dir. Seydell Johnson says for those unfamiliar,the park is located on Mrytle West of Riverside
Drive and that the project is being paid for from neighborhood open space funds. Seydell
Johnson explains that anytime that there is development, a certain amount of money is received
to either acquire new park lands or make renovations at a park. Seydell Johnson says that park is
100 years old, and that the neighborhood is looking forward to the renovation, after which they
will have a big centennial celebration.
Commissioner Recker references the design, asking what it meant by a"Sidewalk with
Thickened Edge". Consultant Anderson explains that for the edge of playground surfacing, staff
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
July 10,2024
Page 4 of 9
like for maintainability to have some kind of hard edge to keep the engineered wood fibers
within the footprint of the playground.
College Green Park Play2round
Consultant Anderson with Bolton& Menk presents the attached PowerPoint presentation.
Commissioner Recker asks if the basketball hoop be adjustable,by either staff or park users.
Consultant Anderson confirms that the basketball will be adjustable by staff but is unsure if park
users will be allowed to freely do so, leaving it up to staff to decide on the operations.
Commissioner Morelli confirms that in recent years when his local park was renovated, the
basketball hoop can be adjusted by park users.
Vice Chairman Moore asks if the gazebo will be included in the renovation. Consultant
Anderson responds that the first steps of the project were to determine the area of the project.
Anderson confirms that the project will not include the gazebo, and that a hard line was drawn
around the western quadrant of the park including the playground and the basketball court.
Anderson explains that this was made to planned to minimize the square footage of what the
project will touch.
Commissioner Morelli asks if the play structure will be smaller than the current structure.
Consultant Anderson says that the play structures will not be significantly different in size,but
that the footprint of the playground will be larger,making the play structure look smaller in
comparison. Morelli asks if there is consideration for hammock posts, due to its placement
amongst student housing. This feedback led to the specific decision to not have hammock posts.
Morelli asks when the playground was last replaced. Seydell Johnsons answers that she does not
know the exact year, she does know that playground is the second oldest playground, only
behind Brookland Park.
Commissioner Recker says that another option along the lines of hammock posts, is to install
fixed posts for slack lining that can be easily attached and removed for programming. Dir.
Seydell Johnson says that there are 2 hammocks put out at Kiwanis Park and that staff are
watching those see what kind of use they get. Seydell Johnson adds that hammocks are
something that can be easily added down the line if they are desired.
Vice Chairman Moore asks if there is room in the budget for a fire pit. Dir. Seydell Johnson
responds that the idea was not popular among the neighborhoods.
Commissioner Broege asks what surfacing is planned for the basketball court. Consultant
Anderson confirms that the court will be poured with concrete and applied with a topping for
color.
Commissioner McPherson asks if there was a park shelter planned for the New Park near
Shannon Drive. Dir. Seydell Johnson confirms that there will be a small park shelter with 2-3
picnic tables, comparing it to the shelters seen at Villa Park, Cardigan Park, and Frauenholtz-
Miller Park.
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
July 10, 2024
Page 5 of 9
Calder Park Trail Connection
Consultant Anderson with Bolton& Menk presents the attached PowerPoint presentation.
Moved by Broe2e, seconded by Forbes,to recommend the approval of the park proiects
(Brookland Park Playground, Calder Park Trail Connections, College Green Playground,
and New Park near Shannon Drive) as presented. Motion passed 7-0 (Hachtman and
Stanton absent).
Commissioner Recker asks when there is project related recommendations, if a high level budget
tied to the projects can be presented that would break down costs like consultation or playground
purchases. Dir. Seydell Johnson responds while that hasn't been done before, staff could
certainly start the practice of doing so, as the projects are usually refined to the point of around
60%when they are presented to the Commission.
PARK NAMING: NEW PARK NEAR SHANON DRIVE—Dir. Seydell Johnson
Dir. Seydell Johnson explains that this item is only an introduction on a subject, and that there
will be no choice made at this meeting. Seydell Johnson says that the Park name was part of the
public input gathered earlier in the project. Options included a lot of Irish related names, due to
the Irish named streets in the neighborhood. Other options being well known individuals to the
area, such as Caitlin Clark or Ashton Kutcher. Seydell Johnson says that the August Commission
meeting will be an on-site for the opening if the Single Track trail at Terrel Mill Park, so
Commissioners should plan to bring name ideas to the September Commission meeting. Seydell
Johnson clarifies that Commissioners should avoid any names associated with West High School
due to the City's practice to stay neutral, and that if they have any people that they want to name
the park after, to let staff know ahead of time so that staff can start gathering background
information.
REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF:
Parks and Recreation Director—Dir. Seydell Johnson
City Park Pool: Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that staff and consultants have been working
with the Council-approved, Option A but with the ability to look at having either 2 or 3 pools.
Seydell Johnson says that it is looking like it will end up with having 3 pools with the leisure
pool being separate from the lap pool and the diving well.
Dir. Seydell Johnson states that staff have been comparing the current channel versus play
equipment and are leaning towards play equipment due to safety concerns heard about the
current channel and the added expense of ongoing maintenance and pumps that would be
necessary for the channel. Staff thoughts are that the swap to play equipment will bring the
budget back down to $18 million and would allow more features like splash pad or playgrounds
in the zero depth. Seydell Johnson describes the goal for the play equipment to be fun but not too
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
July 10,2024
Page 6 of 9
loud and to give more options for adding a play structure that would cater for the middle school
crowd, like a climbing wall off the diving well or basketball hoops.
Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that staff are starting to see architectural renderings from
consultants on what the bath house might look like but explains that it is still too early to be
shared with the Commission.
Commissioner Hayes asks for staff to pay special attention to the noise created by the splash
features, explaining that she still wants to be able to hear birds singing and kids playing in the
park. Dir. Seydell Johnsons clarifies that there will not be a bucket with a heavy drop of water,
but more like fountains.
Commissioner McPherson asks that when Council considers having 3 separate pools at City Park
Pool,to keep in mind the focus that families want to be able to play together in the pool. Dir.
Seydell Johnson believes that having 3 separate pools will cater to that ideal,with room in the
lap pool for adults while leaving the bigger play areas for families to use together.
Juli
Commissioner Morelli, asks regarding total play area, how does the proposed new pool compare
to the current pool. Dir. Seydell Johnson explains that the proposed pool has been calculated by
bather load, which is very similar to the current bather load. Seydell Johnsons speaks about the
possibility of preparing a graphic of the proposed pool plan overlaid on top of the current pool.
Seydell Johnson does note that the pool design likely cannot be expanded any more, due to the
estimated costs totaling $18.39 million while the budget goal is $18 million.
Skate Park: Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that staff have seen designs that are estimated to
cost$2 million. Staff have applied for a$200,000 grant which would increase the budget from
$1.8 million to $2 million. Staff are expecting to hear back regarding the grant in mid-August but
are confident that the project can be pulled off even if the grant is not received. The project
should go out to bid Fall of 2024.
Parks: Dir. Seydell Johnson notes that as of late,there might be garbage issues throughout the
parks system, due to the Parks division garbage truck often breaking down. Seydell Johnson
explains that Parks staff have been lifting the garbage into their regular trucks and driving them
to the dumpsters. Staff are hopeful for the garbage truck to be operational within a week.
Dir. Seydell Johnson refers to recent storms, explaining that Forestry staff have been busy
clearing away damaged trees across the city.
Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that the August Commission meeting will be an on-site meeting
for the opening of the Ice House Single Track Trail at Terrell Mill Park. The meeting was
originally planned for June 2024,but was delayed due to the high ground water and river level.
Vice Chairman Moore asks about the status of the Mercer Park Pickleball Courts. Dir. Seydell
Johnson explains that the courts are not quite complete but that park users have already begun
playing on them. The nets are set up, but the fences need to be installed. Seydell Johnson expects
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
July 10, 2024
Page 7 of 9
the courts to be completed by the expected date of July 15, 2024. Seydell Johnson reminds that
the City Park tennis courts have been delayed at least another month due to the ground water
levels.
CHAIRS REPORT:
None
COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS:
Commissioner Recker asks if there can be an update included in the Staff Report items for next
meeting regarding the plans Mercer Park ball fields transitioning to the school district. Dir.
Seydell Johnson says that it likely wouldn't be ready until September,but that it can included
sometime this Fall. Seydell Johnson gives the context that the Mercer baseball/softball project is
now going to be managed by the school district instead of the city. Seydell Johnson says that she
will see if someone from the school district can come present.
Commissioner McPherson refers to the trail that crosses Muscatine Ave and 1st Ave that have
flashing yellow lights, describing the traffic on this trail crossing as hairy and dangerous to cross
safely. McPherson asks about what can be done to make the crossing safer. Dir. Seydell Johnson
says that this would not be in the jurisdiction of the Parks and Recreation department but says
that she can pass the information on to the pertinent City staff.
Commissioner Morelli relays some points heard from a constituent regarding the Mercer ball
fields. (1) When Field 4 is being taken out of commission for the softball field, what are the
plans to replace the capacity specifically for the younger kids or different leagues. (2) What was
the process that the city used to decide to get rid of one of the ball fields. (3) An expressed desire
to form a"Friends of..." group that would help maintain the fields and what the possibilities are
for some small storage to keep rakes and other equipment. On this same point, there could be
periodic volunteer days to do maintenance or raise funds to help support upgrades. Dir. Seydell
Johnson responds to point(3), saying that the constituent should make contact with one of the
youth sports associations, that already have agreements in place for storage access. Seydell
Johnson says that she does not have specific answers to the other points at this time but will
include with an item at the September meeting.
Commissioner Morelli describes a group that he came across that have morning coffee meetups
at 6:30 a.m. using various parks across Iowa City. He says he saw them on social media and
checked it out, finding it to be very neat. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that she saw them using
College Green Park recently.
Commissioner Forbes asks if there is a better way can be worked out to indicate when City Park
Pool is closed for private events. Forbes says that multiple people have said to her that they were
made the trip to the pool and at the last moment saw signs saying that it was closed for private
events. Forbes explains that she is not keen on closing the only outdoor pool for private events,
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
July 10,2024
Page 8 of 9
but that if it must happen it should be posted on social media or something akin. Dir. Seydell
Johnson said that she can investigate it and follow up.
Vice Chairman Moore asks if there are any plans to install Wi-Fi in the parks, specifically Lower
City Park. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that some parks already have Wi-Fi, supplied by ImOn
Communications. Seydell Johnson says that the program is expanding but is unsure of when
Lower City Park is expected to receive Wi-Fi. Moore asks if it is possible to receive a list of
parks with Wi-Fi, so that it can be shared with people that want to study outdoors.
Vice Chairman Moore asks if there is anything planned for the last week of the season at City
Park Pool. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that Recreation staff are looking at the possibility of some
kind of event, but that Recreation Supt. Barker would have more information. Seydell Johnson
does note that City TV staff have been on-site interviewing people to get memories and thoughts
about the pool.
Vice Chairman Moore asks about the downtown ped mall play structure specifically the climbing
structures that get dirty and become hard to clean, and the surfacing that seems to be coming off
in chunks. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that staff have been working with the contractor on the
subject. Seydell Johnson explains that the climbing structures are not getting dirty in the usual
way,but that the rubber surfacing is coming off the ground and clinging to the structures. Seydell
Johnson says that there is a quote from the company on repair,but that staff are hoping for the
contractor to pay for repairs as it was the surfacing that has likely failed in certain spots. Ideally,
the problem will be solved by this upcoming Fall. Seydell Johnson says that Parks staff have
tried a lot of ideas to clean the structures themselves but to no avail.
Vice Chairman Moore refers to the North Market Square Park playground where Mann
Elementary students often play. Moore says that there is a student in wheelchair and wonders if
it's possible to work with the school district to install an adaptive swing. Dir. Seydell Johnson
says that there are already plans in the works, explaining that that park will have renovations in
2-3 years. Seydell Johnson states that the school district has set aside some money for an
accessible rocker that is seen at other playgrounds. Once the park renovations begin,the school
will purchase the accessible piece. Moore asks if the public finds accessible play structures that
they are interested in how that can be recommended. Seydell Johnson recommends sending the
product her way to look over.
ADJOURNMENT:
Moved by Morelli, second by Forbes,to adiourn the meeting at 6:03 p.m. Motion passed 7-
0 (Hachtman and Stanton absent).
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
July 10, 2024
Page 9 of 9
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
ATTENDANCE RECORD
N N N N N N N N N N N N
NAME o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
N N N N N N N N N N N N
TERM N O
EXPIRES
N M � W� 1Z t-
Aaron 12/31/24 X X X X X X O/E NM X NM NM X
Broe e
Missie 12/31/25 X X X O/E X X X NM O/E NM NM X
Forbes
Alex 12/31/24 X X X X X X X NM X NM NM O/E
Hachtman
Virginia 12/31/27 * * * * * X X NM X NM NM X
Hayes
Rachel 12/31/26 X X X X X X X NM X NM NM X
McPherson
Connie 12/31/25 X X X X X X O/E NM X NM NM X
Moore
Brian 12/31/25 X X O/E O/E X X O/E NM X NM NM X
Morelli
Caleb 12/31/26 * * X X X O/E X NM O/E NM NM X
Recker
Alex 12/31/27 X X X O/E X X X NM O/E NM NM O/E
Stanton
KEY: X= Present O =Absent O/E =Absent/Excused NM= No meeting
LQ = No meeting due to lack of quorum * = Not a member during this meeting
Item Number: 4.k.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
September 3, 2024
Senior Center Commission: May 16
Attachments: Senior Center Commission: May 16
Approved Minutes
May 16, 2024
MINUTES
SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION
May 16, 2024
Assembly Room, Iowa City Senior Center
Members Present: Nancy Ostrognai, Jay Gilchrist, Betty Rosse, Lee McKnight,
Warren Paris
Members Absent: Angela McConville
Staff Present: Kristin Kromray, LaTasha DeLoach
Others Present: Abbee Kelly
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order by Gilchrist at 4.05 PM.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:
None.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE APRIL 18, 2024 MEETING:
Motion: To accept the minutes from the April 18, 2024. Motion carried on a
5/0 vote. Paris/Ostrognai
PUBLIC DISCUSSION:
None.
OPERATIONAL OVERVIEW:
DeLoach noted that she will ask programming staff to attend the June meeting.
There are several concerts next week including SSRO (readers theater group),
Sound Reach (in partnership with West Music), and Voices of Experience. There
will be a ribbon cutting at the VOE concert for the grand piano at that was
purchased by Friends of the Senior Center.
The Underground Railroad trip will be moved to from June 8th to June 15th due to
a conflict at one of the museums.
Additional work is being done on the exterior of the building. The previous below
grade foundation had some surface damage and is being corrected. The second
exterior phase, which includes exterior doors and windows will occur next year.
l
Approved Minutes
May 16, 2024
COMMISSION DISCUSSION:
A proclamation for Older Americans Month will be presented on May 21 at the
City Council meeting. Ostrognai and Paris will attend to accept it.
Ostrognai reported that she had talked with a couple of people who did not know
about SEATS and suggest that information be included in the program guide.
DeLoach noted that the Senior center can connect people with the Johnson
County Mobility Coordinator. Gilchrist suggested that a presentation with the
mobility coordinator would be helpful.
Betty noted a few suggestions from people at Ecumenical Towers. They include
expanding the Monday coffee to additional days, having more chairs with arms
on them, additional craft classes and the option to sell those items.
Gilchrist noted he will not be able to attend the June meeting.
Meeting Adjourned.
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